Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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MILWAUKEE --

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment requiring a landscaping firm based in Thiensville, Wis., and its owner, Fadi Haddad, to pay 76 workers $59,984 in overtime back wages to settle a lawsuit alleging violations of the overtime pay provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that employees of Northern Exposure Landscaping Inc. worked more than 40 hours in a week and were not paid overtime pay. The investigation also disclosed recordkeeping violations. Back wages were recovered for the period November 2001 through June 2003.

“The Department of Labor is committed to enforcing the law and ensuring that all employees, particularly low-wage workers as in this case, receive all wages they are owed,” said Denise Scharlemann, district director of the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Minneapolis.

The consent judgment, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, permanently enjoins Northern Exposure Landscaping and Haddad from future violations of the overtime pay and recordkeeping provisions of the FLSA.

Northern Exposure Landscaping Inc. is engaged in landscape maintenance, construction, irrigation services and snow removal.

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

The Wage and Hour Division recovered nearly $197 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 Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). 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.