HOUSTON – A federal investigation has recovered $166,435 in back wages for 106 workers of a Houston company that misclassified them as independent contractors, which deprived the workers of their full benefits and wages, including overtime.

HOUSTON - Una investigación federal ha recuperado $166,435 en salarios atrasados para 106 trabajadores de una empresa de Houston que los clasificó erróneamente como contratistas independientes, lo que privó a los trabajadores de sus beneficios y salarios completos, incluidas las horas extras.

Employer:                                          Zapopan Mexican Food

Investigation site:                              14207 Palm Drive Suite 102

Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240

ELIZABETH, NJ – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $353,945 in back wages and liquidated damages for 79 sales associates at 12 New Jersey T-Mobile locations whose owners willfully denied the employees overtime wages for hours over 40 in workweek.

NORFOLK, VA – The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has issued a preliminary injunction against a Chesapeake home healthcare provider to prevent the employer from obstructing a U.S. Department of Labor investigation, retaliating against employees who cooperate with investigators and  demanding kickbacks of back wages assessed by the department’s Wage and Hour Division.

FORT WAYNE, IN – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation has found an Indiana provider of home healthcare services violated federal law when it failed to pay workers for time spent driving between clients’ homes, leading to the department’s recovery of $126,162 in back wages for 95 workers.

INDIANAPOLIS – Overtime wages owed to 215 security professionals who patrol Indianapolis International Airport’s grounds, guard local businesses, and provide round-the-clock traffic control in the area were paid following an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Employer name:                    Maw’s CPS SA LLC

                                                         (Operating as Charley’s Philly Steaks)

Investigation site:                  4001 Sunset Blvd.

                                                          San Angelo, TX 76904

DAYTON, OH – A federal investigation has recovered $133,661 in back wages for 63 workers of a Dayton home healthcare provider who misclassified its employees as independent contractors, denied workers overtime pay and falsified payroll records to hide the violations.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is asking Maine’s building construction industry to participate in a survey to help the agency establish prevailing wage rates, as required under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA).

MANCHESTER, NH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has recovered $123,750 in back wages and liquidated damages for 40 workers of a Hampton Beach clothing retailer after finding the employer paid some employees cash off the books and paid straight time for overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek.

MORTON, MS – Work in a poultry processing plant is hard: the hours are often long and the jobs expose workers to serious safety and health hazards. In return for subjecting themselves to high noise levels, dangerous equipment, slippery floors, hazardous chemicals and biological dangers, and the common risks of musculoskeletal disorders, a Mississippi worker’s mean annual wage is less than $30,000.

MORTON, MS - El trabajo en una planta de procesamiento de pollo es difícil: los horarios son extensos y el trabajo expone a los trabajadores a peligros graves de seguridad y salud.

CENTER, TX – A federal investigation recovered $247,334 in back wages and liquidated damages for 15 workers of a Texas oil pipeline construction company whose pay practices denied them their full wages, including overtime. The workers were employed at the company’s Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas job sites.

BIRMINGHAM, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $62,568 in back wages and liquidated damages for 22 current and former cashiers of two Alabama gas stations whose operator denied them their full wages by paying them overtime at rates lower than the law requires.

Employer:                                          Smoky Hearth LLC

Investigation site:                             16607 Champion Way #100

                                                                     Sandy, OR 97055

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and Office of the Chief Information Officer today launched an app for use on Android devices that helps track work hours, break time, overtime hours and calculates wages due. The department previously launched the iOS version of the division’s Timesheet App.

HONOLULU – A federal investigation has recovered $117,710 in back wages and liquidated damages for 70 workers of a restaurant group in Hawaii that required servers to share their tips with managers, after the employer reduced managers’ salaries by at least 25 percent. The restaurant operators attempted to make up for the reduction in managers’ salaries by drawing from tipped workers’ wages, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

CENTER, TX –  Una investigación federal recuperó $247,334 en salarios atrasados y daños y perjuicios para 15 trabajadores de una empresa de construcción de oleoductos de Texas a quienes se les negó su salario completo, incluidas las horas extras. Los trabajadores estaban empleados en las obras de la empresa en Luisiana, Oklahoma y Texas.

PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh restaurant and distillery used its tip pool improperly – requiring servers to share tips with managers and supervisors– in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, a federal investigation has found.