Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The U. S. Department of Labor has reached an agreement with VCI Telecom, Inc, an Upland, Calif. company, to pay $1,074,375 in back wages to 227 employees. The agreement settles charges that the company violated the overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

An investigation by the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division revealed that the company failed to pay employees overtime rates of at least one and one half times their regular pay rates for hours over forty worked in a work week, as federal law requires. The employees worked laying and installing cable in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura and Orange counties.

"The Labor Department is committed to ensuring that workers are paid for all the hours worked, including overtime, through compliance assistance and strong enforcement," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "Most employers comply with our laws, but we will aggressively enforce the law if an employer purposefully avoids paying workers overtime when due."

VCI agreed to pay back wages for the period September 10, 2000 through March 10, 2002. The amount of back wages recovered ranged from $24 to $31,271.

For more information on federal pay laws, call the Department's toll-free help lines at 866-4USWAGE (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.