Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Cable Line LLC, a cable installation company formerly based in Elmsford, N.Y., has agreed to pay 80 former employees a total of $60,000 in back wages to resolve a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor alleging violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The department’s suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York following an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division that disclosed violations of the FLSA’s overtime and recordkeeping provisions.

The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage as well as time and one-half their regular rates of pay for hours worked beyond 40 per week. The law also requires that accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment be maintained, and prohibits retaliation against employees who exercise their rights under the law.

Sonia Rybak, assistant district director for the Wage and Hour Division in charge of the Hudson Valley Area Office in White Plains, said: “This case demonstrates that the Labor Department expects employers to fulfill their obligation under the law to pay employees properly for all hours worked, and we will not hesitate to take employers to court to compel them to do so, as necessary.”

A consent judgment signed by Judge Kenneth M. Karas prohibits the defendant from future violations of the FLSA’s overtime and recordkeeping provisions, and orders the company to pay the back wages covering the period between May 1, 2004, and April 30, 2006. Cable Line LLC agreed to entry of the judgment without admitting any of the violations alleged in the department’s suit.

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 Department of Labor’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet atwww.wagehour.dol.gov, and an interactive “e-laws advisor” providing detailed information about FLSA compliance is available at www.dol.gov/elaws/flsa.htm.

Chao v. Cable Line LLC; Civil Action Number: 08-CV-00240-KMK-GAY

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