US Labor Department recovers $24K in back wages, damages for 64 workers after Sweet Brew Tea maker failed to pay overtime as law requires

Employer:  Southern Visions LLP, operating as Sweet Brew Tea

Investigation site:  30245 County Road 49, Loxley, AL 36551

Investigation findings: Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer paid overtime after 80 hours in a pay period and not after 40 in a workweek as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. By doing so, the employer failed to pay the additional half-time rate when employees exceeded the 40 hours in a workweek.

The division also learned Southern Visions allowed a minor-aged employee to drive a vehicle to conduct business and run errands, without meeting criteria set by federal laws, a hazardous occupation violation under the FLSA.

Back Wages, Liquidated Damages Recovered: $12,218 for 64 workers and an equal amount in liquidated damages.

Civil money penalties assessed: $1,980 to resolve child labor violations.

Quote: “Employers cannot choose when they begin to pay proper pay rates to overtime eligible employees,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Kenneth Stripling in Birmingham, Alabama. “The Wage and Hour Division is readily available to help employers and employees alike to understand their legal responsibilities and rights under the law.”

Background: Southern Visions LLP manufactures sweet tea products for sale to residential, commercial, restaurants and specialty store customers at more than 140 establishments in 16 U.S. states.

The division offers online resources for employers, such as an overview of overtime provisions contained in the FLSA. Employers can also contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE. Learn more about Wage and Hour Division. 

Workers who feel they may not be getting the wages they earned may contact a Wage and Hour Division representative in their state through a list and interactive online map on the agency’s website. Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android Timesheet App for free, which is available in English and Spanish.