Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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NEW YORK -- The One Stop Shopping supermarket located at 98 Rutledge St. in Brooklyn N.Y., has agreed to pay 36 employees nearly $100,000 to settle alleged violations of the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) investigation found that the supermarket owed 36 employees a total of $97,810.54 in back wages.

"The Department of Labor is committed to enforcing the FLSA and ensuring that all workers, especially low wage workers, are paid properly for all hours worked," said Philip Jacobson, New York City District Director for the department's Wage and Hour Division.

DOL's Wage and Hour Division investigated the supermarket and found that this employer was paying employees $5.00 per hour and straight time for all hours worked including overtime. The employees worked an average of 50 to 60 hours per week. A total of 29 workers were due $11,472.12 for minimum wage violations, while 35 employees were due $86,338.42 in unpaid overtime. The investigation covered Feb. 6, 2001 to Feb. 4, 2003.

The FLSA requires that covered workers be paid at least the federal minimum wage and one-and-one half times their regular rates of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single workweek. The law also requires employers to maintain adequate and accurate records of employees' wages, hours and other conditions of employment. This employer was also found to have violated the recordkeeping provisions of the law.

The employer has agreed to pay the back wages and comply with the requirements of the FLSA in the future.

The Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $212 million in back wages in fiscal year (FY) 2003, a 21 percent increase over the record setting amount of FY 2002. Average days to resolve a complaint decreased in FY 2003 from 129 days to 108 days. WHD assessed employers nearly $10 million in civil money penalties in FY 2003.

For more information on the provisions of the FLSA, call the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) or contact the New York district office at (212) 264-8185. 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.