Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- A Riverside firm has agreed to pay $150,000 in back wages to settle charges that the company failed to pay overtime wages as required by federal law. The company manufactures modular buildings, such as portable classrooms and temporary office space, used throughout Southern California.

"The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that workers are paid correctly for all hours worked," said Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao. "We are pleased that the department was able to recover $150,000 in back wages for these workers. Through the Department of Labor's determined efforts, more than $212 million in back wages were recovered for American workers last year."

Investigators with the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division found that Walden Structures, Inc. paid employees straight time for overtime hours worked. The company used a non-payroll check labeled as reimbursement for travel expenses to pay for overtime hours, but at the regular rate of pay. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires that employees earn one-and-one-half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 per week.

Charles Walden, president of the firm, signed a consent judgment filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on April 13. The back wages compensate employees for work performed during the two-year period ending in February 2003. Walden has agreed to comply with all requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act in the future.

For more information about the Fair Labor Standards Act, call the East Los Angeles Wage and Hour office at (626) 966-0478 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.