June 7, 2016

Court orders SoCal recycling company to pay workers $90K in back overtime wages, damages

Employer: Leo’s Recycling, a Southern California recycling company

Sites: 9306 Cayuga Avenue, Sun Valley
22115 Sierra Highway, Sylmar
12210 Foothill Boulevard, Panorama City
11631 Victory Boulevard Panorama City
9110 Van Nuys Boulevard Panorama City

June 2, 2016

Staffing agency to pay more than $151K in overtime back wages, damages, after misclassifying 275 hotel employees as independent contractors

Employer: Allstars Staffing LLC, an agency providing workers to local resorts and hotels

Location: 925 East Hermosa Drive, Tempe, Arizona

June 1, 2016

Subcontractor pays $33K in back wages after federal investigation finds employer incorrectly classified, underpaid plumbers

BATON ROUGE, La. – A Louisiana subcontractor was paying laborer’s wages to Karl Fusilier, a plumber working on the $8 million, federally funded Choctaw Lodge project in Baton Rouge. While the law requires his employer to pay him and co-workers as plumbers for skilled plumbing work, U.S. Department of Labor investigators say the subcontractor misclassified the three as “laborers,” cheating them of nearly $11 per hour.

May 31, 2016

Grand Rapids restaurant, owners agree with court order to comply with federal record-keeping rules after department’s Wage and Hour investigation

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Names of Defendants: Tian Li Restaurant Inc., doing business as Ming Ten Restaurant
Jin Ling Ren
Shi Ju Xing

Complaint: Under terms of a consent judgment, Tian Li Restaurant Inc., operating as Ming Ten Restaurant in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and its owners and managers, Jin Ling Ren and Shi Ju Xing, have agreed to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act’s recordkeeping requirements.

May 25, 2016

US Labor Department recovers $189k in wages on behalf of 28 underpaid workers on federally funded Manhattan construction project

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $189,000 in unpaid wages and overtime for 28  carpenters and laborers who worked on the federally funded West 131st St. Cluster Project in Harlem between April 2009 and April 2010. This was the result of a joint enforcement effort with the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in which the two agencies shared information and worked collaboratively on behalf of workers in New York. The attorney general’s investigation continues.

May 25, 2016

Court orders Newark flooring company to pay $280K in back wages, damages to 15 employees after US Labor Department investigation

Type of Action: Consent judgment

Defendant(s): Ferry Carpets Inc., Alina Lolo, and Antonio Lolo

Resolution: Flooring company Ferry Carpets Inc. will pay 15 employees $140,000 in back wages and $140,000 in liquidated damages under the terms of a consent judgment entered in a U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark on May 24.

May 25, 2016

Federal court orders Bay Area taxi, limo companies’ owner to pay misclassified workers $175K in back wages, damages

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal judge has ordered the owner of a Bay Area taxi and limousine service to pay a collective $175,000 in back wages and damages to dozens of drivers who the company misclassified as independent contractors and failed to pay minimum wage and overtime pay as federal law requires. 

May 24, 2016

Court judgment orders four Phoenix-area Federico’s Mexican Food Restaurants to pay workers $202K in overtime back wages, damages

Employer: Federico’s Mexican Food Restaurant

Sites: 4014 North 43 Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona
3730 West Happy Valley Road, Suite 109, Glendale, Arizona
20429 North Lake Pleasant, Suite 101, Peoria, Arizona
7410 South 35 Avenue, Laveen, Arizona

May 24, 2016

Molina Healthcare of New Mexico to pay $700K to more than 400 caseworkers after US Labor Department investigation finds them eligible for overtime

Employer: Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc.

Site: 400 Tijeras SE, Suite 200, Albuquerque, New Mexico

May 23, 2016

Staffing agency to pay nearly $25K in back wages, damages to 15 employees at Kissimmee hotel after US Labor Department investigation

Employer name: Perfect Service Excellent Benefits Services Inc.

Investigation site: 7475 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, Florida 34747

May 23, 2016

Alabama convenience stores owner to pay nearly $72K in back wages, damages to workers after US Labor Department investigation

Employer names: MV Petro LCC, doing business as, End of the Road Chevron
JJB Petro LCC, doing business as, Country Freeze Food Mart

Investigation sites: 3565 Laurendine Road, Theodore, Alabama 36582
3860 Turnbull Court, Mobile, Alabama 36619

May 23, 2016

U.S. Labor Department’s ongoing enforcement effort protects Washington farmworkers’ wages, rights; ensures employers comply with federal labor laws

SEATTLE – The next time you enjoy an apple, a pear, a cherry or some other fruit, think for a moment about the people whose labor brought it to your table. From sun-up to sundown, these men and women exchange low wages earned in fields and packing houses for hard work and sore bodies.

May 20, 2016

US Labor Department offers free, three-day seminar on prevailing wage requirements in federal contracts for contractors, unions and workers

Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

What: Seminar on prevailing wage requirements in federal contracts and service agreements

When: Tuesday, June 14, 2016: Check-in at 8 a.m., presentation from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 16, 2016: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(All times are MDT.)

Where: Hotel Cascada
2500 Carlisle Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110

May 19, 2016

Sacramento electrical contractor to pay workers on federal projects in California, Washington $385K after failing to pay prevailing wages

Employers: Harold E. Nutter & Son Inc., an electrical federal contractor

Sites: Napa Valley Wine Train Relocation Project, Napa, California
Beale Air Force Base, Child Development Center, Beale AFB, California
Folsom Dam Project, Folsom, California
Beale Air Force Dock 4 Repair, Beale AFB, California
Beale Air Force Base Dock 1, Beale AFB, California
Ft. Irwin Barracks Complex, Ft. Irwin, California
U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Center, Vancouver, Washington

May 18, 2016

Orange County recycler to pay 7 workers $113K in back wages, penalties

Employers: Sanchez Recycling, Inc.

Sites: 2018 East Orangeview, Placentia, California (Main office/yard)
1459 South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, California
1130 West 6th St., Corona, California
2560 North Perris Blvd., Perris, California

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department investigation finds child labor, minimum wage and other violations at Street’s Seafood Restaurant

Employer name: Street’s Seafood Restaurant

Investigation site: 251 Highway 31, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department initiative finds 14 Lawrence restaurants owe more than $112K in back wages to 130 workers

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Hospitality industry jobs are often filled by students, temporary, or foreign workers – many of whom are new to the workforce. Among the nation’s lowest-paid workers, they are often unfamiliar with wage laws and their rights. Language barriers, fear of retaliation, and fears about immigration status can also cause them to be among those least likely to exercise their rights, leaving them vulnerable to labor violations.

May 17, 2016

H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing to pay $38K in back wages, damages to 11 employees for overtime violations

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Name of Defendants: H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing LLC, Muskegon, Michigan
Darrell Hinken

Investigation Findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the company and its owner Darrell Hinken violated the FLSA’s overtime and record keeping provisions.