August 17, 2016

Plastering contractor to pay $365K in overtime back wages to employees misclassified as independent contractors

Employer: Brownlow Plastering LLC

Site: 19031 Trippi Road, Hammond, Louisiana 70403

August 17, 2016

US Labor Department sues Phoenix electrical contractor for unpaid overtime wages owed to 200 workers

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit filing 

Name of Defendants: Austin Electric Services LLC
Toby Thomas

August 11, 2016

US Department of Labor revokes Buckhannon nonprofit’s federal wage exemption for improperly paying workers with disabilities

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has revoked a West Virginia nonprofit’s ability to pay less than the current federal minimum wage to workers with disabilities after federal investigations found the organization violated provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act.

August 10, 2016

US Labor Department sues SoCal drywall company to recover back wages, damages for approximately 1,500 employees; halt chronic overtime violations

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit filing

Name of Defendants: West Coast Drywall & Company Inc.
Mark D. Herbert
Santos Garcia

August 9, 2016

Kansas flooring company misclassifies installers as independent contractors, to pay nearly $160K in back wages, damages to 22 workers

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – An Overland Park flooring company that misclassified installers as independent contractors will pay 22 workers a total of $159,144 – representing $79,572 in back wages plus an equal amount in liquidated damages – after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.

August 8, 2016

US Department of Labor, CalVans partner to expand safe farmworker transportation plan at Fresno event

FRESNO, Calif. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and the California Vanpool Authority will sign a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the use of the authority’s CalVans fleet – based on the demand from growers, packers and farm labor contractors – to ensure safe and reliable transportation for Central Valley farmworkers to and from the fields every day. The event coincides with the anniversary of an infamous vehicle accident that killed 13 farmworkers in the region in 1999.

August 4, 2016

Citigroup Technology pays $1.8M in back wages to 882 employees in Florida after US Labor Department investigation

TAMPA, Fla. – A federal investigation into pay practices at a technology subsidiary of global banking giant Citigroup revealed the Florida company denied hundreds of employees’ overtime compensation and did not maintain time records, both violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

August 4, 2016

US Department of Labor, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry sign agreement to protect workers from misclassification

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

August 4, 2016

Anchorage comic book, game retailer cited for child labor violations

Employer:  Bosco’s Inc.

Sites: 2301 Spenard Road, Anchorage, Alaska
800 E. Dimond Blvd., Suite #162, Anchorage, Alaska

August 2, 2016

Massachusetts companies to pay $2.4M in overtime, damages to 478 workers, most intentionally misclassified as independent contractors

BOSTON – A Lunenburg construction company and a Framingham company it used to avoid its legal responsibilities as an employer have been ordered to pay a total of $2,359,685 in back wages and liquidated damages to 478 employees and take other corrective actions to prevent future violations of federal labor law. Under a consent judgment they will also pay $262,900 in civil money penalties due to the willful nature of their violations.

August 2, 2016

US Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division to offer free compliance seminar in West Virginia on Sept. 8

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will offer a comprehensive compliance seminar for employers, representatives of community rehabilitation programs, family members and guardians of workers with disabilities and other stakeholders on rules governing the payment of workers with disabilities under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

July 26, 2016

US Labor Department investigation finds Capitol Hill cafeteria workers illegally denied more than $1M in wages by federal food service contractors

WASHINGTON – Hundreds of workers who prepare and serve meals for Capitol Hill lawmakers and their staffs in the U.S. Senate cafeterias will receive more than $1 million in back wages after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found their employers failed to pay prevailing wages required of federal contractors.

July 26, 2016

Fresno home rental company to pay $259K in overtime back wages, damages

Employers: David Hovannisian and J&V Properties Inc., two property management companies jointly doing business as JD Home Rentals

Location: 2975 E. Belmont Ave., Fresno, California

July 25, 2016

Arizona homebuilder to pay $48K in overtime back wages, damages to 31 employees following US Labor Department investigation

Employer: DCO Custom Builders LLC  

Site: 800 West Shell Drive, Suite H, Nogales, Arizona

July 21, 2016

Labor Department investigation finds Phoenix construction business failed to pay overtime wages; pays $85K in back wages, damages to 68 workers

Employer: Atwater Construction Company, Inc.

Sites: 22640 N. 21st Ave., Phoenix, Arizona

July 21, 2016

Grand Rapids-based air compressor sales company to pay $13K in unpaid overtime wages, damages to 13 employees

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Names of Defendants: Best Aire Compressor Services Inc.
Thomas Russell

July 18, 2016

Seven Hawaiian Falls’ water parks pay nearly $86K in penalties for child labor violations following US Labor Department investigations

DALLAS – Seven investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found underage workers using dangerous equipment and working outside of permitted work hours at Hawaiian Falls’ Water and Adventure parks in Garland, Mansfield, Roanoke, Pflugerville, The Colony, White Settlement and Waco.

July 14, 2016

US Labor Department recovers $431K for workers on Manhattan’s federally funded Peck Slip Project

NEW YORK – Thirty-one workers employed on the federally funded cobblestone reconstruction project on Manhattan’s Peck Slip will receive $431,715 in back wages and interest following an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

July 12, 2016

Manufacturer United Plastics, staffing agency ASI Group to pay $1.4M in back wages, damages to 566 employees in Massachusetts, Mississippi

BOSTON – Employees at United Plastics manufacturing plants in Leominster, Massachusetts, and Sardis, Mississippi, will receive a total of $1,433,618 in back wages and liquidated damages as part of a consent judgment and order obtained in federal court by the U.S. Department of Labor.