Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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SEATTLE, WA -- The Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Wash., has agreed to pay $381,434 in back wages to 1,237 employees for violations of federal overtime laws, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The Muckleshoot Casino is a gaming business with restaurants.

“This Administration is committed to ensuring that employees receive the wages they have earned,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “In this case, $381,434 was recovered in back pay for these workers through the determined efforts of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.”

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that the employer used a system to round hours which resulted in employees not being paid for all hours worked as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As a consequence, employees who worked at various jobs in the casino and restaurants were not paid overtime compensation. The employer cooperated with Wage and Hour and worked quickly to resolve the matter.

Under the FLSA, employers are required to pay covered employees minimum wage and overtime compensation at the rate of one and a half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in each workweek.

The investigation covered the period from June 27, 2002, through June 26, 2004.

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

For more information about the FLSA, call the Seattle Wage and Hour Office at 206-398-8039 or the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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