Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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Press Releases

SEATTLE -- – The U.S. Department of Labor reported today that B.J.’s Enterprises, Inc., has agreed to pay 154 of its employees a total of $117,468 in back wages as a result of failing to pay the required overtime compensation under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

“The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that employees, especially low-wage workers, are paid correctly for all hours worked under the law and receive the overtime pay they are due,” said Donna Hart, acting district director, Wage and Hour Division.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Seattle revealed that the employer failed to pay game operators, food service employees and cashiers at a rate of one and one half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked in excess of 40 in a week, as required by the FLSA.

The department’s investigation covered the period from May 2002 until May 2004.

The WHD recovered more than $212 million in back wages in fiscal year (FY) 2003, a 21 percent increase over the record setting amount of FY 2002. Average days to resolve a complaint decreased in FY 2003 from 129 days to 108 days. WHD assessed employers nearly $10 million in civil money penalties in FY 2003.

For more information about the FLSA, call the Wage Hour District Office at 206-398-8039 or the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available 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.