Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Lingual Information System Technologies in San Antonio has agreed to pay $98,123 in back wages and fringe benefits to 56 current and former security guard employees after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employees had not been properly paid as required by the McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (CWHSSA).

“Lingual Information System Technologies failed to pay proper wages as required by the service contract,” said Cynthia Watson, the Wage and Hour Division’s southwestern regional administrator. “We are pleased that 56 employees will receive more than $98,000.”

Linqual Information System Technologies provides security guard escort services to Medina Base/Lackland Air Force Base Annex in San Antonio. An investigation covering the period from Jan.1, 2006, to Jan. 7, 2007, determined that the company did not pay some employees the prevailing wage for all hours worked, and did not pay other employees the holiday pay to which they were entitled.

The SCA covers contracts entered into by federal agencies where the principal purpose of the contract is to furnish services in the United States through the use of “service employees.” The law requires that every federal service contract in excess of $2,500 contain a wage determination setting forth wages and fringe benefits prevailing in the locality or contained in the collective bargaining agreement of the predecessor contractor. The CWHSSA requires payment of time and one-half the basic rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

Back wages have been paid in full and the company has agreed to future SCA compliance.

The Wage and Hour Division concluded 31,987 compliance actions and recovered more than $171 million in back wages for more than 246,000 employees in fiscal year 2006. Back-wage collections last year represent a 30 percent increase over back wages collected in fiscal year 2001. The number of workers receiving back wages has increased by 14 percent since 2001.

For more information about the SCA and CWHSSA and other federal prevailing wage laws, call the Department of Labor’s toll-free helpline at (866) 4US-WAGE (487-9243) or the Wage and Hour Division’s district office in San Antonio at (210) 308-4515. 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.