Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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LONGVIEW, Texas -- Arcadia Environmental Sales & Cleanup Inc. in Longview has paid $135,232 in overtime back wages to 30 current and former construction laborers after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the company in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

“This employer was not paying its workers the overtime pay they were entitled to receive,” said Cynthia Watson, the Wage and Hour Division’s regional administrator for the Southwest. “The employer also failed to keep accurate payroll records.”

The investigation, covering the two-year period from June 2, 2005, to June 1, 2007, found that Arcadia Environmental Sales & Cleanup, which provides oil field construction services for natural gas companies, paid its employees straight time for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The company also failed to maintain required recordkeeping.

Back wages have been paid in full and the company has agreed to future FLSA compliance.

The FLSA requires that covered employees, unless otherwise exempt, be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $5.85 per hour for all hours worked, plus time and one-half their regular rates of pay for hours worked more than 40 per week. This law also requires that employers keep accurate time and payroll records.

The Wage and Hour Division concluded 31,987 compliance actions and recovered more than $171 million in back wages for more than 246,000 employees in fiscal year 2006. Back-wage collections in fiscal year 2006 represent a 30 percent increase over back wages collected in fiscal year 2001. The number of workers receiving back wages has increased by 14 percent since 2001.

For more information about the FLSA and other federal wage laws, call the Department of Labor’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or the Wage and Hour Division’s Dallas District Office at 817-861-2150. Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.