Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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IRVING, Texas -- American Metal Fabricators Inc., Irving, Texas, has agreed to pay $293,216 in overtime back wages after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found that 287 former and current installers had not been properly paid under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

A signing ceremony was held today at the offices of the Texas Farm Bureau, 7420 Fish Pond Road, Waco.

“Employees are entitled to receive the wages they have rightfully earned, including overtime compensation” said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Dallas. “In this case, workers were being paid straight time for all hours worked. We are pleased to have recovered nearly $300,000 in back wages for those employees who worked more than 40 hours a week.”

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, Dallas district office, covering the two years from Jan. 25, 2003 to Jan. 25, 2005, determined that American Metal Fabricators, failed to pay employees the federal minimum wage and time-and-one-half for hours worked in excess of 40 per workweek. In addition, the company failed to maintain accurate time and payroll records as required by the FLSA.

American Metal Fabricators also does business as Team Sheet Metal. The company, which manufactures and installs heating and air conditioning metal air duct systems throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, has agreed to fully comply with the FLSA in the future and to pay back wages due by December 2006.

The FLSA requires employers to pay covered employees the minimum wage for all hours worked and time-and-one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. The FLSA also requires employers to maintain accurate time and payroll records.

In fiscal year 2004, the Wage and Hour Division recovered nearly $200 million in back wages for more than 288,000 workers. Average days to resolve a complaint decreased in fiscal 2004 from 108 to 92 days.

For more information about the FLSA, call the Wage Hour Dallas District Office at (817) 861-2150, metro number at (817) 261-4371 or the Department of Labor’s toll-free 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.