Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Health insurance provider, Humana, Inc., has agreed to pay more than $1 million in back wages to 2,510 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor determined that the Louisville-based organization violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

“This Administration is committed to ensuring that workers receive all the wages they have earned,” said Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined that from February 2003 to February 2005, the health insurance provider failed to properly compensate customer service and claims specialists working at call centers in Louisville, Ky., Green Bay, Wis. and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Investigators found that the company failed to record and properly compensate these employees for time worked off-the-clock powering up equipment, logging on to the network and bringing up programs necessary to perform their duties.

The FLSA requires that employers pay the minimum wage for all hours of work and overtime at a rate of one and one-half times the employees’ regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The law also requires employers to maintain accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

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

For more 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 Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov, or contact the Louisville Wage and Hour Division office located at 601 W. Broadway, Room 31, phone (502) 582-5226.

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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.