Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Vintage Pharmaceuticals, Huntsville, Ala., has agreed to pay $313,221 in back overtime wages to 654 employees after an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division determined that the company had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

“The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that employees receive the wages they have earned,” said Oliver Peebles III, Gulf Coast Wage and Hour Division district director.

The department’s investigation revealed that between August 2003 and July 2005, non-exempt employees frequently began working before their scheduled work periods. Often, this resulted in employees working more than 40 hours in a work week. However, the unscheduled hours the employees worked were not paid at an overtime rate as required by the FLSA.

Peebles explained that these employees, who worked at three locations in Huntsville and one in Charlotte, N.C., were compensated at an overtime rate for any scheduled hours worked over 40 in a work week. He added that the company cooperated during the investigation and has agreed to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act in the future.

The FLSA requires that covered workers be paid one-and-one half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single work week. Employers must pay at least the federal minimum wage and maintain accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

For further information about the FLSA and other laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243), visit the Wage and Hour Division Web site at www.wagehour.dol.gov, or contact the Gulf Coast district office at 955 22nd St. N., Suite 656; phone: (205) 731-1305.

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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.