Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Printer-Friendly Version

Press Releases

SEATTLE -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that Security Services Northwest Inc., a Sequim, Wash., security company, will pay a total of $207,852 in back wages to 56 employees for alleged violations of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

A consent judgment was entered in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington following an investigation by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division. The company denied any liability or wrongdoing but agreed to the payment of back wages.

The investigation was conducted as part of the department’s ongoing initiative to ensure that workers involved in hurricane-related clean-up and reconstruction activities are properly compensated. The alleged violations occurred during a period in which the company provided hurricane-related security planning and protective services along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The employer allegedly failed to pay employees time and one-half their regular rates of pay for work beyond 40 hours a week and to pay them for all hours worked, including pre- and post-shift activities, as required by the FLSA. The law also requires that employers pay workers at least the federal minimum wage and that they maintain accurate records of wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

More information about the FLSA is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at (866) 4US-WAGE (487-9243) or by calling the Wage and Hour Division’s Seattle District Office at (206) 398-8039. 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.