Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
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U.S. Department of Labor |
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Deerebuilt LLC in Ardmore, Okla., pays more than $85,000 in overtime back wages following US Department of Labor investigation
ARDMORE, Okla. -- Deerebuilt LLC in Ardmore has paid $85,105 in overtime back wages to 112 current and former employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, which found violations of the overtime and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Investigators from the division’s Oklahoma City District Office found that the employer paid “straight time” for all hours worked, failing to pay overtime at time and one-half employees’ regular rates of pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek, as required by the FLSA. The employer paid employees for overtime hours worked on weekends with separate checks, at straight-time rates. Overtime worked during the regular workweek was also paid at straight-time rates. The company also failed to maintain records of hours worked by employees, violating the record-keeping requirements of the FLSA.
“The department holds employers accountable when they do not pay their workers properly,” said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Wage and Hour Division in the Southwest. “In this case, employees worked up to 60 hours a week without overtime compensation. This is illegal and unacceptable. This case should alert other employers that we will not hesitate to investigate and take action to recover denied wages for workers when employers have not complied with federal law.”
Deerebuilt, which employs nearly 65 workers and manufactures frac tanks, vacuum transports and specialty trailers, has agreed to comply fully with the FLSA in the future. Back wages have been paid in full.
The FLSA requires that covered, nonexempt employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for all hours worked, plus time and one-half their regular rates, including commissions, bonuses and incentive pay, for hours worked beyond 40 per week. Additionally, the law requires that accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment be maintained.
For more information about the FLSA and other federal wage laws, call the Wage and Hour Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or the division’s Oklahoma City office at 405-231-4158. Information is also available at http://www.dol.gov/whd.
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