April 19, 2016

Investigations result in nearly $1.2M in back wages, damages for more than 100 workers at 13 Charleston area restaurants

Employer(s):

La Hacienda Mexican Grill Inc.

La Hacienda Restaurante Mexicano of Charleston VI Inc.

La Hacienda of Bluffton Inc.

La Hacienda Restaurante Mexicano of Charleston II Inc.

La Hacienda of Charleston VII Inc.

April 19, 2016

Nueces County Sheriff’s Office pays $769K in overtime back wages, penalties following US Labor Department investigation

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation uncovered that the Nueces County Sheriff’s Office altered employee time sheets and did not pay its employees legally required overtime compensation.

April 18, 2016

Bay Area human resources provider to pay $1 million in back wages, damages to more than 260 employees denied overtime pay

SAN FRANCISCO – A San Leandro-based human resources outsource provider will pay $1 million in back overtime wages and damages combined to hundreds of employees after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation that found widespread Fair Labor Standards Act violations.

April 18, 2016

US Labor Department files suit to debar forest maintenance company from future federal contracts for repeatedly failing to pay workers

Date of Action: April 12, 2016

Type of Action: Lawsuit seeking debarment from future government contract awards

Name of Defendant: Carney W. Potter, doing business as Arrowhead Starr Co. and Carney W. Potter, individually, in Plainview, Arkansas. Arrowhead Starr is a forest maintenance contractor that provides reforestation services to the federal government.

April 18, 2016

Nashville restaurant, owners agree to pay $175K to 44 employees to resolve federal allegations of minimum wage, overtime violations

Employer name: Los Arcos Seafood & Grill Inc., doing business as Los Arcos Mexican Grill & Seafood Jose Gutierrez, Jr.
Martin Romo

Investigation site: 3798 Nolensville Road, Nashville, Tennessee 37211

April 14, 2016

Call center provider to pay $150K in back wages for misclassifying hundreds of employees as independent contractors – denying minimum wage, overtime

Employer: ViaSource Solutions Inc., formerly INW Contact LLC, a call-center provider to businesses that market products on television infomercials

Location: 223 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 222, Thousand Oaks, California

April 11, 2016

Merced County adult residential care provider to pay $43K in back wages

Employer: C and D’s Guest Homes, Inc., provider of residential care services for adults with developmental disabilities, doing business as C and D’s Guest Home and New Horizon’s Residential

April 7, 2016

Workers in New York City nail salons face wage, other labor violations

NEW YORK – Nail salon workers in one of the world’s largest cities work hard to serve their customers. At the same time, they are what the U.S. Department of Labor refers to as vulnerable workers – unaware of their rights, sometimes with language barriers, or reluctant to step forward to complain.

April 7, 2016

San Francisco-based real estate operator pays more than $110K in back wages, damages, penalties after investigation finds repeated overtime violations

Employer: Litke Investments LLC, a San Francisco-based real estate investment enterprise, acquires, maintains and manages hotels and residential apartments.

Sites: Numerous hotels and apartments operating under various legal and trade names in California, Texas, Oregon and North Dakota.

Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found Litke Investments:

April 7, 2016

US Labor Department sues Gloucester seafood processor to recover nearly $204k in liquidated damages, additional back wages

BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor is suing two Gloucester fish processing companies and their owner for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The department’s Wage and Hour Division found that Zeus Packing Inc., Cape Ann  Seafood Exchange and owner Kristian Kristensen owed $203,998 in unpaid wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages totaling $407,996  to 132 workers for the period October 2011 through September 2014.

April 6, 2016

Idaho home energy contractor to pay $41K in back wages to 44 employees

Employers: Elite Energy Efficiency

Sites: 669 Quinn Road #1, Pocatello, Idaho

Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Elite Energy Efficiency violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by misclassifying employees as independent contractors even though:

April 5, 2016

Orange County academic services provider to pay $439K in back wages owed to 58 employees after federal investigation

Employer: Joined, Inc., an academic recruitment, technology and curriculum services provider

Sites: 2010 Main St., Suite 550 Irvine, California

Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Joined, Inc. missed paying wages to staff in several pay periods. The company blamed clients who failed to pay for services rendered and a slowdown in company business.

March 31, 2016

Arkansas health-care facilities asked illegal, personal questions of workers requesting family and medical leave, federal initiative finds

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – More than 40,000 hospital workers at Mercy Health System and affiliated locations around the nation are no longer required to have their health care providers answer a litany of unnecessary and illegal questions before requesting leave for their own serious health conditions or to care for a family member.

March 30, 2016

Clairmont Diner will pay $213K in back wages, damages and penalties after federal Wage and Hour investigation

Employer name: 929 Restaurant Corp., doing business as Clairmont Diner

Investigation site: 929 Yonkers Ave., Yonkers, New York

Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that the Clairmont Diner violated the minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Investigators found the employer  

March 28, 2016

Judge orders New Jersey nursery to pay $143K in back wages, penalties after US Labor Department’s wage and hour investigation

Date of action: Feb. 18, 2016

Type of action: Order granting Wage and Hour Division’s motion for summary decision

Names of defendant: Overdevest Nurseries LP, wholesale grower of plants, shrubs, trees and flower

March 24, 2016

Oil well service workers receive $1.5M in back wages, damages after US Department of Labor investigations in New Mexico, Texas

HOBBS, N.M. – Nova Mud Inc., Nova Hardbanding LLC and Nova Sand LLC have paid $1.5 million – $750,000 in back wages and an additional, equal amount in liquidated damages – to 241 oil well service workers after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. All three commonly owned and operated businesses violated overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

March 23, 2016

Tampico restaurants agree to pay $190K in back wages to 67 workers

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act Consent Judgment

Name of Defendants:

March 16, 2016

Tampa assisted living facility to pay more than $56K in back wages to 9 employees following US Labor Department investigation

Employer name: Toria’s Adult Living Facilities I & II, doing business as Toria’s Support Care Services Inc.

Investigation site: 3702 E. Osborne Ave., Tampa, Florida 33619

March 15, 2016

U.S. Labor Department lawsuit seeks back wages and damages for Austintown, Ohio restaurant workers

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act Lawsuit Filing

Names of Defendants: Salsitas, Inc. doing business as Salsitas Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, and Oscar McBenttes