Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SEATTLE -- InfraSource Services Inc., doing business in Kittitas, Wash., as InfraSource Transmission Services, will pay 153 of its workers a total of $363,486 in overtime back wages under terms of a consent judgment filed in federal court, the U.S. Department of Labor announced today.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that the construction company failed to compensate the employees, who worked on the construction of power transmission lines in Kittitas and Benton Counties, for all hours worked in primarily pre-shift activities between July 28, 2004, and Dec. 4, 2005. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that covered workers be paid at a rate of one and one-half times their regular rate of pay after 40 hours in a workweek, and that employers maintain accurate records of pay and hours worked.

The settlement agreement was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The company denied any liability but agreed to the payment of the back wages.

The Wage and Hour Division concluded 31,987 compliance actions in fiscal year 2006 and recovered more than $171 million in back wages for more than 246,000 employees. Back-wage collections last year 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 year 2001.

Information about the FLSA is available at the U.S. Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-(866) 4US-WAGE (487-9243) or by calling the Wage and Hour Division’s district office in Seattle at (206) 398-8039. 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.