August 3, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $70K in back wages for 71 security guards after investigation at Central New Mexico Community College

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Employers may request that workers arrive before their shifts begin for briefings but workers must be paid for that time, a lesson that a New Mexico community college learned after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

August 3, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $284K in back wages after investigation finds Albuquerque restaurant underpaid tipped workers

ALBUQUERQUE, NM –The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $284,219 in back wages for 163 employees of Pappas Restaurants Inc. after an investigation found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime requirements.

July 29, 2021

US Department of Labor announces final rule to rescind March 2020 joint employer rule, ensure more workers minimum wage, overtime protections

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule to rescind an earlier rule, “Joint Employer Status under the Fair Labor Standards Act,” that took effect in March 2020.

July 22, 2021

US Department of Labor to offer virtual seminars in August to help employers, workers, stakeholders with prevailing wage requirements

WASHINGTON, DC – To help employers, workers and others stakeholders understand federal standards for prevailing wages on federally funded construction and service contracts, the U.S. Department of Labor is offering virtual compliance seminars in August for contracting agencies, contractors, unions, workers and other stakeholders.

July 22, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $57K in back wages for 15 workers of Brookhaven restaurant after finding minimum wage violations

BROOKHAVEN, MS A Brookhaven restaurant failed to maintain records proving tipped employees earned at least the required $7.25 federal minimum wage and committed other violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division has found.

July 21, 2021

US Department of Labor investigation finds Bucks County contractor employed 5 minors illegally, failed to pay overtime

WARRINGTON, PA – In the construction industry, falls are among the leading causes of injuries and fatalities. The risks faced by roofing workers are even greater given how they spend much of their workdays, and why federal law prohibits roofing as a hazardous occupation for workers under the age of 18.

July 20, 2021

El Departamento de Trabajo de EE. UU. determinó que el franquiciado en Houston de Denny’s no pagó el salario mínimo, el sobretiempo, realizó deducciones ilegales por uniformes

HOUSTON  – A medida que los niveles de personas vacunadas aumentan y la temperatura sube en los Estados Unidos, más estadounidenses están volviendo a cenar afuera. La industria de los restaurantes cambió mucho desde 2020, pero algunas cosas no cambiaron. Los camareros permanecen entre los trabajadores peor pagados y brindan un buen servicio con la esperanza de ganar buenas propinas para llegar a fin de mes. Dependen de que se les pague todos sus salarios duramente ganados.

July 20, 2021

US Department of Labor finds Houston Denny’s franchisee failed to pay minimum wage, overtime; made illegal deductions for uniforms

HOUSTON – As vaccination levels rise and weather warms in the U.S., more Americans have returned to dining out. Much has changed in the restaurant industry since 2020, but a few things have not. Servers remain among the lowest-paid workers, and provide good service in the hope of earning good tips to make ends meet. They depend upon getting paid all of their hard-earned wages.

July 19, 2021

US Department of Labor seeks Guam building, residential, heavy and highway construction industries’ input for wage survey

HAGATNA, GUAM – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is asking Guam’s building, residential, heavy and highway construction employers to help the agency establish accurate rates and complete wage determination by participating in a prevailing wage survey.

July 19, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $17K in back wages for 20 equipment rental company workers paid straight time for overtime work

DEDEDO, GUAM – Heavy equipment operators often work long hard days outdoors to meet deadlines and complete projects on schedule. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division exists to ensure that their employers pay them the wages they have legally earned, and takes action when they do not.

July 19, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $158K for 19 police employees after investigation finds City of East St. Louis failed to pay overtime

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL – After a long shift patrolling the streets of East St. Louis together, the city’s K-9 unit police officers returned home and groomed, fed and cared for their trusted furry, four-legged partners. While these officers are legally entitled to be paid for this additional work, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has found the City of East St.

July 16, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $280K for 36 workers of Medford restaurant that withheld cash, credit card tips; failed to pay overtime

MEDFORD, OR – Diners at Misoya Bistro in Medford were likely unaware that, for nearly two years, the owner was withholding nearly all of their workers’ tips.

July 15, 2021

Lakeland roofing contractor pays more than $51K in back wages, penalties after US Department of Labor uncovers overtime, child labor violations

LAKELAND, FL – Piece-rate pay practices make workers’ paychecks solely dependent on the amount of work produced, regardless of how many hours are worked. When using these practices, however, employers must still comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act and record all hours worked, pay minimum wage and overtime when applicable.

July 14, 2021

US Department of Labor recovers $67K in back wages after finding Fayetteville Days Inn franchisee shorted workers’ pay

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Hotels commonly pay housekeepers on a piece-rate basis, often basing their pay on the number of rooms they cleaned or tasks they accomplished. When that approach allows workers’ wages to fall below the federal minimum wage, the employer has violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

July 13, 2021

Grocery store operator pays over $27K in penalties after US Department of Labor finds repeated child labor violations at Maine, New Hampshire locations

MANCHESTER, NH – The operator of two specialty grocery stores in New Hampshire and Maine, has paid $27,274 in civil money penalties to the U.S. Department of Labor after an investigation found that the employer employed minors to clean power-driven meat mixers and grinders. Federal child labor laws prohibit employees under 18 from cleaning or operating these machines.

July 12, 2021

Mississippi-based contractor pays $52K in back wages, fringe benefits to 45 laborers after US Department of Labor finds federal labor violations

GALLATIN, TN – A Mississippi-based plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor with 10 Southeast locations and nearly 75 years of experience has learned that federal contract wage violations can be costly.

July 8, 2021

Farm labor contractor pays $56K in penalties for violating migrant worker, immigration laws after a vehicle accident that injured 14 workers in Maine

 

MANCHESTER, NH – A North Carolina-based tree thinning contractor who employed foreign forestry workers in Maine as fir-tippers has paid a total of $55,810 in civil money penalties to the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve violations of federal laws protecting migrant and seasonal workers, and preventing adverse conditions for U.S. workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Administrative Law Judges ordered the resolution in a decision and order approving consent findings.

July 8, 2021

Maryland plumbing subcontractor pays $50K in back wages, benefits following US Labor Department investigation

COLUMBIA, MD – A Columbia plumbing subcontractor working on a federally funded project in Washington, D.C. failed to pay workers all the wages they earned, until a U.S. Department of Labor investigation recovered $50,088 in back wages and benefits for four employees.