Department of Labor recovers more than $98K in back wages, damages for 137 employees of Florida electrical contractor who denied proper overtime

Employer:                               Tri-City Electrical Contractors Inc.

Investigation sites:                430 West Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL, 32714 (Headquarters)

                                                13891 Jetport Loop Road, Fort Myers, FL 33913

                                                5911 Breckenridge Parkway, Tampa, FL 33610

Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer – who provides residential electrical services in the Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa areas – failed to include bonuses into the regular rate of pay when computing overtime. By doing so, Tri-City Electrical Contractors paid overtime at rates lower than the Fair Labor Standards Act requires. The employer also failed to maintain complete and accurate time and pay records.

Back Wages and Liquidated Damages Recovered: $49,180 for 137 workers, and an equal amount in liquidated damages.                              

Quote: “Employers must understand that overtime rates are subject to all wages earned, including regular rates and production bonuses. When employers fail to factor them together, they deny employees their hard-earned wages and make it tougher for them to provide for themselves and their families,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Wildalí De Jesús in Orlando, Florida. “The Wage and Hour Division encourages workers and employers to seek our assistance to help understand their rights and responsibilities under the law.”

Background: Employers can contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE. The division also offers online resources for employers, such as a fact sheet on Fair Labor Standards Act wage laws overtime requirements and a compliance assistance toolkit for the Construction Industry. 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. Learn more about Wage and Hour Division.