US Department of Labor recovers $87K in wages for pest control technicians denied overtime in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas

Employer name:                    Arrow Pest Control of Baton Rouge Inc.,

                                                      doing business as Arrow Termite and Pest Control Co.

Investigation site:                  Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found  Fair Labor Standards Act overtime violations when Arrow Pest Control of Baton Rouge Inc. – doing business as Arrow Termite and Pest Control – paid employees a fixed salary for all hours worked instead of the required time and one-half their hourly rate of pay for hours over 40 in a workweek.

Division investigators also found that the employer failed to maintain records of daily or weekly hours worked, in violation of the FLSA’s recordkeeping provisions. 

Pest control technicians performed work at private homes and businesses in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. 

Back wages recovered: $87,404 in owed overtime to 103 workers

Quote: “One common workplace myth is that all salaried employees are exempt from overtime pay,’ said Wage and Hour Division Director Troy Mouton in New Orleans.  “Many employees who receive salaries are entitled to overtime pay for hours over 40 in a work week, and the criteria for an overtime exemption are very specific.”

“Employers unsure if employees qualify for overtime pay in addition to their paid salary should contact their local Wage and Hour Division office for technical assistance,” he added. “That’s the best way to ensure they pay employees all of their rightful wages and avoid costly compliance issues.”

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. Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions – regardless of their immigration status – and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages.