Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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HOUSTON, TX -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division today announced that Camesa Inc., Rosenberg, Texas, has agreed to pay $37,725 in back overtime wages after an investigation found that seven current and former office workers were underpaid.

“Workers are entitled to be paid their full wages for all hours worked,” said Martin Barrow, district director for the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Houston. “In this case the employer did not pay nonexempt office staff for all the hours they worked. In addition, the company did not keep the required payroll records.”

The investigation by the Wage and Hour Division, covering the period Jan. 26, 2003 to Jan. 16, 2005, found that Camesa Inc., which distributes electrical and mechanical cables used for oil and gas measurements, failed to pay overtime to covered employees who worked in excess of 40 hours a week.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employees to be paid the minimum wage for all hours worked and time and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. Employers must also maintain accurate time and payroll records.

The company has agreed to future compliance and will pay the back wages by June 2005.

The Wage and Hour Division recovered nearly $200 million in back wages in fiscal year 2003 for more than 288,000 workers. Average days to resolve a complaint decreased in fiscal 2004 from 108 days to 92 days.

For more information about federal overtime laws, call the Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) or contact the Houston district office at (713) 339-5500. Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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