Investigation recovers $481K in back wages, damages from Burbank paint, wall covering contractor who denied 117 employees overtime wages

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $481,357 from a Burbank paint and wall covering company who shortchanged 117 workers by failing to pay required overtime wages and then told federal investigators repeatedly that the employees had not worked overtime hours.

Investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division found The Rodin Group employees worked on weekends routinely and, on occasion, worked double shifts on weekdays to exceed 40 hours in a workweek. The division determined employees’ weekly overtime ranged from 30 minutes to 72 hours.

In addition, the division learned the employers paid overtime hours in cash routinely and they did not record or pay employees for required hours spent in travel and replenishing supplies. The employers’ willful violations led the department to assess The Rodin Group with $55,042 in civil money penalties.

“Our investigation found The Rodin Group deliberately tried to deny more than 100 employees their hard-earned wages, including overtime wages when some employees worked as many as 72 hours of overtime,” said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Francisco Ocampo in Los Angeles. “The employers have learned that misleading investigators will not be tolerated and that willful violations can lead to significant damages and civil money penalties.” 

The employers’ actions violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Rodin Group in Burbank is a commercial painting and wall covering company, providing services in the Los Angeles area, including clients in San Bernardino, Ventura and Orange counties. 

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. Employers and workers can call the division confidentially with questions, regardless of their immigration status. The department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages through the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free on any mobile device, also available in Spanish.

This news release is also available in Spanish.