Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
Press Releases
U.S. Department of Labor |
|
US Labor Department recovers more than $176,000 in back wages for 253 cable installers and technicians in western North Carolina
Connect Cable Contractors agrees to correct wage and timekeeping errors
HICKORY, N.C. -- Connect Cable Contractors Inc. has agreed to pay $176,600 in back wages to 253 employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which uncovered violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The company provides cable installation for telephone, television and Internet service in the Asheville, Boone, Hickory and surrounding areas of western North Carolina
“Employees covered by the FLSA must be paid for all hours worked, including proper calculation of overtime payments when they work more than 40 hours in a week,” said Richard Blaylock, the Wage and Hour Division’s district director in Raleigh, N.C. “Anything less denies workers of the wages they have worked hard for and deserve.”
The investigation determined that installers and service technicians were paid piece rates based on jobs performed. While weekly pay averaged between $500 and $1,000, the workers did not receive overtime when working more than 40 hours in a week. Additionally, time spent traveling to jobsites, in the company’s warehouse, attending company-required meetings and inputting data into the company’s information system were not included when calculating all hours worked for the employees.
The FLSA requires that employers must maintain accurate time and payroll records. Covered employees must be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 for all hours worked, plus time and one-half their regular rates of pay, including commissions, bonuses and incentive pay, for hours worked beyond 40 per week. Earnings may be determined on a piece-rate, salary, commission, or some other basis, but in all such cases the overtime pay due must be computed using the employee’s average hourly rate.
For more information about this investigation, call the Wage and Hour Division’s Charlotte District Office in North Carolina at 704-344-6302. For more information about the FLSA, call the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov/whd.
###
U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.
