Is Your Employer Violating Wage and Hour Laws?

The United States Department of Labor recently announced a fine against Sea Island Acquisitions LLC because the company violated several important elements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. In a statement issued by the Department of Labor, a spokesperson commented that even employers who intend to follow the law can end up committing violations. This recent story acts as an important reminder for companies to remain up to date and adhere to important wage and hour rules and regulations.

The Violations in Question

Investigators determined that supervisors at Sea Island Acquisitions altered time cards for housekeeping workers. Through these alterations, Sea Island denied workers who were on the job more than 40 hours a week overtime pay as well as violated minimum wage requirements. In addition to these violations, Sea Labor incorrectly classified an accounting worker, which led to that worker being denied overtime compensation. Sea Lab was also determined to have failed to keep records on the ages of 240 minors who were employed by the company.

In response to these charges, Sea Labor argued that its violation was merely an isolated incident and that as a result of the fine, the company now intends to perform more frequent audits. To resolve the birth certificate violation, Sea Lab also announced that it had made sure the company always retains the birth certificates of workers.

Signs Your Employer is Violating the Fair Labor Standards Act

Sea Labor is not the only company that has one time or another violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. Some of the signs that your employer might have violated your rights under this Act include:

• You work more than 40 hours a week and are not compensated for overtime. Your employer might incorrectly claim you are salary-exempt, exempt from overtime, average your workweeks, or misclassify workers as independent contractors.
• Your employer claims that it pays you a salary and are exempt from overtime under FLSA. Unfortunately, employers sometimes falsely claim that a person is exempt under FLSA to avoid having to pay overtime as required by federal law – the FLSA.
• Your employer compensates you for overtime at the same rate you are paid for a regular hour of work. Under federal law (known as the FLSA), however, overtime is required to be time and a half.
• Your employer pays you a fixed rate no matter how many hours the employee is on the job. 
• Workers who are compensated on a “piece-rate” basis are paid the same no matter how long the job takes. Non-exempt workers under the FLSA are required to be paid overtime compensation as well as federal minimum wage, which can lead to violations if an employer pays you in such a way.

Contact an Experienced Wage and Hour Lawyer

At Herrmann Law, we recognize and understand the importance of worker’s rights including those related to wage and hour issues. If you believe that your employer has violated wage and hour issues, do not hesitate to contact our law office today for assistance 817-479-9229.