May 25, 2016

US Labor Department recovers $189k in wages on behalf of 28 underpaid workers on federally funded Manhattan construction project

NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $189,000 in unpaid wages and overtime for 28  carpenters and laborers who worked on the federally funded West 131st St. Cluster Project in Harlem between April 2009 and April 2010. This was the result of a joint enforcement effort with the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in which the two agencies shared information and worked collaboratively on behalf of workers in New York. The attorney general’s investigation continues.

May 25, 2016

Federal court orders Bay Area taxi, limo companies’ owner to pay misclassified workers $175K in back wages, damages

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal judge has ordered the owner of a Bay Area taxi and limousine service to pay a collective $175,000 in back wages and damages to dozens of drivers who the company misclassified as independent contractors and failed to pay minimum wage and overtime pay as federal law requires. 

May 24, 2016

Molina Healthcare of New Mexico to pay $700K to more than 400 caseworkers after US Labor Department investigation finds them eligible for overtime

Employer: Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc.

Site: 400 Tijeras SE, Suite 200, Albuquerque, New Mexico

May 24, 2016

Court judgment orders four Phoenix-area Federico’s Mexican Food Restaurants to pay workers $202K in overtime back wages, damages

Employer: Federico’s Mexican Food Restaurant

Sites: 4014 North 43 Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona
3730 West Happy Valley Road, Suite 109, Glendale, Arizona
20429 North Lake Pleasant, Suite 101, Peoria, Arizona
7410 South 35 Avenue, Laveen, Arizona

May 23, 2016

Staffing agency to pay nearly $25K in back wages, damages to 15 employees at Kissimmee hotel after US Labor Department investigation

Employer name: Perfect Service Excellent Benefits Services Inc.

Investigation site: 7475 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee, Florida 34747

May 23, 2016

U.S. Labor Department’s ongoing enforcement effort protects Washington farmworkers’ wages, rights; ensures employers comply with federal labor laws

SEATTLE – The next time you enjoy an apple, a pear, a cherry or some other fruit, think for a moment about the people whose labor brought it to your table. From sun-up to sundown, these men and women exchange low wages earned in fields and packing houses for hard work and sore bodies.

May 23, 2016

Alabama convenience stores owner to pay nearly $72K in back wages, damages to workers after US Labor Department investigation

Employer names: MV Petro LCC, doing business as, End of the Road Chevron
JJB Petro LCC, doing business as, Country Freeze Food Mart

Investigation sites: 3565 Laurendine Road, Theodore, Alabama 36582
3860 Turnbull Court, Mobile, Alabama 36619

May 20, 2016

US Labor Department offers free, three-day seminar on prevailing wage requirements in federal contracts for contractors, unions and workers

Who: U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

What: Seminar on prevailing wage requirements in federal contracts and service agreements

When: Tuesday, June 14, 2016: Check-in at 8 a.m., presentation from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 16, 2016: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(All times are MDT.)

Where: Hotel Cascada
2500 Carlisle Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110

May 19, 2016

Sacramento electrical contractor to pay workers on federal projects in California, Washington $385K after failing to pay prevailing wages

Employers: Harold E. Nutter & Son Inc., an electrical federal contractor

Sites: Napa Valley Wine Train Relocation Project, Napa, California
Beale Air Force Base, Child Development Center, Beale AFB, California
Folsom Dam Project, Folsom, California
Beale Air Force Dock 4 Repair, Beale AFB, California
Beale Air Force Base Dock 1, Beale AFB, California
Ft. Irwin Barracks Complex, Ft. Irwin, California
U.S. Armed Forces Reserve Center, Vancouver, Washington

May 18, 2016

Orange County recycler to pay 7 workers $113K in back wages, penalties

Employers: Sanchez Recycling, Inc.

Sites: 2018 East Orangeview, Placentia, California (Main office/yard)
1459 South Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, California
1130 West 6th St., Corona, California
2560 North Perris Blvd., Perris, California

May 17, 2016

H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing to pay $38K in back wages, damages to 11 employees for overtime violations

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Name of Defendants: H&H Lawn Service and Snowplowing LLC, Muskegon, Michigan
Darrell Hinken

Investigation Findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the company and its owner Darrell Hinken violated the FLSA’s overtime and record keeping provisions. 

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department investigation finds child labor, minimum wage and other violations at Street’s Seafood Restaurant

Employer name: Street’s Seafood Restaurant

Investigation site: 251 Highway 31, Bay Minette, Alabama 36507

May 17, 2016

US Labor Department initiative finds 14 Lawrence restaurants owe more than $112K in back wages to 130 workers

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Hospitality industry jobs are often filled by students, temporary, or foreign workers – many of whom are new to the workforce. Among the nation’s lowest-paid workers, they are often unfamiliar with wage laws and their rights. Language barriers, fear of retaliation, and fears about immigration status can also cause them to be among those least likely to exercise their rights, leaving them vulnerable to labor violations.

May 16, 2016

US Labor Department obtains order to stop Arlington restaurant owners from intimidating workers who cooperate with federal investigators

ARLINGTON, Va. – A suburban Washington, D.C.-area restaurant and its owners have entered into an agreement ensuring that they would not intimidate or retaliate against employees who cooperate with a U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour investigation and subsequent ongoing litigation. The owners also agreed to stop soliciting “waivers” from employees to relinquish their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

May 12, 2016

US Department of Labor’s ongoing initiative to get hospitality workers the ‘bucks’ they’ve legally earned would make even ‘Bucky Badger’ proud

MADISON, Wis. – In a town where images of the state university’s mascot “Bucky Badger” are common in restaurants and hotels alike, U.S. Department of Labor investigators are actively engaged in an education and enforcement effort to make sure employers do not deny hospitality workers the “bucks” they have earned legally.

May 12, 2016

Vegetable supplier to major grocery chains assessed over $1.4M in civil money penalties after two-year federal investigation

Employer’s names: Red Diamond Enterprises Inc., doing business as Red Diamond Farms
German “Javier” Torres, president and owner

Investigation sites: Wimauma, Sarasota, Quincy and West Palm Beach, Florida

May 12, 2016

Bay Area medical center to pay nearly $38K to employee it fired illegally after the worker sought medical attention

Employers: Muir Orthopedics Specialists

Sites: 2625 Shadeland Drive, Walnut Creek, California

May 10, 2016

Lawsuit seeks more than $60K in back wages, damages for 56 nursing assistants employed by Generations Home Care

Type of Action: Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit filing

Names of Defendant(s): Sage Holding Group Ltd, doing business as Generations Home Care
Vincent F. Salvia