Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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KNOXVILLE, TN -- Porter Roofing Contractors, Inc. has paid $102,525 in back overtime wages to 159 employees after the U.S. Department of Labor determined that the McMinnville-based company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

“The Department of Labor is committed to enforcing the law to ensure that employees receive the wages they have earned,” said Carol Merchant, Wage and Hour Division’s Nashville district director. In this case, we recovered $102,525 in back overtime pay for these workers.”

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined that, between April 2002 and April 2004, the company failed to include time spent loading materials and driving to job sites when computing employees’ overtime.

The company has been cooperative with Wage and Hour investigators and has agreed to future compliance with provisions of the FLSA.

The law requires that covered workers be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. It also requires that workers are paid one-and-one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single work week and that employers maintain accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

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 department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243); visit the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov; or contact the Knoxville Wage and Hour Division office located in the John Duncan Federal Building, 710 Locust St., Room 101; phone: (865) 545-4619.

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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.