Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Printer-Friendly Version

Press Releases

SAN FRANCISCO -- MC Communications, Inc., a Las Vegas cable television installation contractor, has paid $141,495 in back wages to 181 employees to settle a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) complaint that the company miscalculated overtime wages earned by workers.

An investigation by the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division determined that MC Communications, Inc., performing cable installation work exclusively for Cox Communications in Las Vegas, incorrectly calculated overtime wages for employees working as many as 70 hours per week in some cases. In addition, the employer did not maintain accurate records of all hours worked.

"The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring all workers are paid the full wages they are entitled to receive," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "This agency has recovered more than $212 million in back wages in fiscal year 2003 - a 21 percent increase over FY 2002."

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that employees be paid one-and-one-half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. MC Communications violated the FLSA by failing to add the production bonuses that workers routinely earned to the regular rate of pay before making the overtime calculations. The company committed a second violation by not recording the overtime work of some employees, and not paying them overtime for the extra hours. The shortfall resulting from the two violations was $141,495.

The back wages will compensate cable installers for work performed during the two-year period ending in December 2003. All employees have been paid in full.

For more information about the FLSA, call the Wage and Hour office in Las Vegas at 702-388-6001, 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.

###

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.