Oilfield service company pays over $600,000 in unpaid back wages
A Louisiana based oil field service company has agreed to pay 270 current and former employees almost $620,000 in back wages after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and record-keeping provisions. The investigation found that the employer violated the FLSA by not paying its workers for the time spent at mandatory staff meetings and that the company failed to record the time spent at these meetings.
The mandatory safety and orientation meetings occurred on drilling rigs and platforms at the beginning of each shift. The rig workers were required to come to the meetings 30 minutes before the start of their shift. The employer failed to pay workers for the compensable time spent in the mandatory meetings.
According to the Department of Labor “The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Workers who are not employed in agriculture and not otherwise exempt from overtime compensation are entitled to time and one-half their regular rates of pay for every hour they work beyond 40 per week. The law also requires employers to maintain accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment, and prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who exercise their rights under the law.”
For More information on employees’ overtime pay rights visit
www.unpaidovertimelawyer.com
