US Department of Labor recovers $27K in back wages, penalties after finding Kailua gas station violated overtime rules willfully

HONOLULU – A Kailua gas and service station’s reckless disregard for compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act has led to the recovery of $22,851 for five service technicians and cashiers denied overtime they earned when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division investigators found Lahaina Petroleum LLC – operating as Aikahi Texaco on the Hawaiian island of Oahu – failed to pay two service technicians overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a week. This violation led to the recovery of $17,333 in unpaid back wages for them. Division investigators also determined Lahaina failed to pay three cashiers for work conducted before their shifts began. When the additional work time was added to the weekly hours, the division calculated $5,518 in overtime back wages was due to these employees.

The division also assessed $4,150 in civil penalties to Lahaina Petroleum LLC for the willful nature of its violations.

“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that workers such as mechanics don’t lose their entitlement to overtime simply because they’re paid on a guaranteed salaried basis,” said Wage Hour District Director Terence Trotter in Honolulu, Hawaii. “Additionally, all hours worked must be recorded, counted and paid in accordance with the wage standards of the FLSA whether they are performed before, during or after an employee's scheduled shift.”

Lahaina Petroleum, doing business as Aikahi Texaco, operates 17 gasoline stations with convenience stores and servicing centers across the State of Hawaii. The company is based in Carmichael, California.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the division, contact its toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.