Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Printer-Friendly Version

Press Releases

PITTSBURGH, PA -- The U.S. Labor Department has filed suit against Barker Brothers d/b/a Pittsburgh North Aire Ride for alleged overtime violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The company provides ground transportation services to the disabled and the elderly.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the suit seeks to recover an estimated $105,248 in back wages due to 72 drivers for unpaid overtime, and seeks to enjoin the company from violating the Act in the future. Liquidated damages in the amount equal to, and in addition to, the amount of back wages have also been requested.

“The Department of Labor is committed to strong enforcement of the laws to ensure that workers are paid correctly for all hours worked,” said Corlis Sellers, regional administrator of the Wage and Hour Northeast Region. “Pittsburgh North Aire Ride’s refusal to comply with the law is unacceptable and must be reversed.”

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Pittsburgh determined that Pittsburgh North Aire Ride drivers were paid a straight hourly rate, and did not receive overtime when they worked in excess of 40 hours during a workweek from May 2001 through May 2003.

A Wage and Hour investigation into the company found the same violations in 2000, but the company has refused to come into compliance.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that covered employees be paid one-and-one half times their regular rates of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single work-week, and requires employers to maintain adequate and accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

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 on federal pay requirements or other provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, visit the agency’s website at www.wagehour.dol.gov call the Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) or the Philadelphia Wage and Hour Division at (215) 597-4950.

###

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.