Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN --

Some 269 current and former employees at the Accent Marketing Service, LLC customer contact center in New Albany, Ind., will receive a total of $48,307 in overtime back wages as a result of an agreement reached between the company and the U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that the Jeffersonville, Ind., based firm failed to correctly compensate workers for hours worked in excess of forty per week at the New Albany location. The investigation covered the period from May 2002 through May 2004, and was conducted to ascertain compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the nation’s minimum wage and overtime pay law.

After Accent Marketing was notified of the investigation findings, the company agreed to compute and pay the back wages owed to employees under the direction of the Wage and Hour Division. The company further agreed to remain in compliance with the FLSA in the future.

“The Wage and Hour Division is committed to ensuring that workers are paid in accordance with the law for all hours worked, and to protecting the overtime pay rights of workers,” said Wage and Hour Division Indianapolis District Director Ella M. Johnson.

The FLSA requires the payment of minimum wage and overtime at time and one-half an employee’s regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 per week. The FLSA also contains record keeping requirements and youth employment standards.

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, 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.