US Department of Labor recovers $96K for 10 workers on Kauai after finding cleaning company denied pay for overtime, work travel

HONOLULU – U.S. Department of Labor investigators have found that a Lihue cleaning service failed to pay employees overtime wages when required and did not pay employees for time spent traveling between job sites, which has led to the recovery of $96,936 in unpaid wages and damages for 10 workers.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division determined All Kauai Cleaning Inc.’s owner Robert Bartolo denied some employees overtime pay for hours over 40 in a workweek, and failed to track employees’ travel time and to include that time when calculating wages owed. These actions, and the employer’s failure to keep complete and accurate payroll records, are all violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“Federal law protects the rights of every worker to get paid all of their legally earned wages which, in this case, means the required overtime rate and payment for time traveling between work locations,” explained Wage and Hour Division District Director Terence Trotter in Honolulu. “Our investigators determined that All Kauai Cleaning repeatedly violated its workers’ rights, and the U.S. Department of Labor has held the company accountable.”

In addition to recovering wages and damages, the division assessed All Kauai Cleaning $1,540 in civil money penalties for its repeated violations. In a 2014 investigation, the division discovered the employer failed to pay overtime when required and recovered $33,612 in unpaid wages and damages for affected workers.

Established in 1988, All Kauai Cleaning Inc. provides interior and exterior cleaning services for residential and commercial customers on the island.

The Wage and Hour Division protects workers against retaliation and has regulations that prohibit retaliation, harassment, intimidation or adverse actions against employees that assert their worker rights. 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 and how to file an online complaint. Workers and employers with questions can contact the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), regardless of where they are from.

Download the agency’s new Timesheet App, now available in English and Spanish for Android and iOS devices, to ensure hours and pay are accurate.