Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Rohrer Painting Inc., a construction painting company in Kansas City, Mo., has paid $80,000 in back overtime wages to 55 workers following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.

The company violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay required overtime compensation, as well as to keep accurate records of daily and weekly hours worked, rates of pay and employee addresses.

“The Labor Department is committed to ensuring that workers receive all the wages to which they are legally entitled, “ said James Koren, director of the department’s Wage and Hour Division district office in Kansas City, Kan. “I am pleased that we were able to recover $80,000 in back wages for these workers.”

The FLSA, which is enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, requires that covered workers be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $5.85 per hour for all hours worked. It also requires that workers be paid time and one-half their regular rates of pay for hours worked over 40 in a single workweek, and that employers maintain adequate and accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment. In general, “hours worked” includes all time an employee must be on duty, or on the employer’s premises or at any other prescribed place of work, from the beginning of the first principal activity of the workday to the end of the last principal work activity of the workday.

The Wage and Hour Division concluded 30,467 compliance actions and recovered a record $220 million in back wages for more than 341,000 employees in fiscal year 2007. Back-wage collections in fiscal year 2007 represent a 67 percent increase over back wages collected in fiscal year 2001. The number of workers receiving back wages has increased by 58 percent since fiscal year 2001.

For more information about the FLSA, call the Wage and Hour Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or contact the Kansas City, Kan., district office at 913-551-5721. 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.