Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Concrete Express, Inc., a Ventura firm whose drivers deliver pre-mixed concrete to construction sites throughout Ventura County, has agreed to pay $30,000 in back wages to 27 employees to settle a U.S. Department of Labor complaint that the company failed to pay overtime wages earned by workers.

"The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring all workers are paid the full wages they are entitled to receive," said George Friday, regional administrator of the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division in San Francisco. "And workers who put in extra hours beyond the traditional work week are entitled to higher overtime pay for those hours."

Friday pointed out that the Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $212 million in back wages nationwide in fiscal year 2003 - a 21 percent increase over FY 2002."

The Wage and Hour investigation of Concrete Express determined that drivers for the company who routinely worked as many as 60 hours per week were paid a flat trip rate which did not provide overtime compensation for the extra work hours.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that employees eligible for overtime must be paid one-and-one-half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. In addition, drivers were not paid for non-driving activities such as pre-checking trucks prior to delivery and cleaning them up afterward and for time spent attending required safety meetings. The company was also cited for failing to maintain accurate records of the hours worked and wages earned by employees.

The back wages will compensate employees for work performed during a two-year period. The company has revised its payroll and record-keeping procedures and has agreed to future compliance with the law.

For more information about the FLSA, call the Wage and Hour office in Oxnard at 805-485-1121, or the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4US WAGE (1-866-487-9243). 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.