A Florida contractor paid $48,000 after shorting workers on overtime pay, Labor says
When a Palm Coast contractor didn’t pay overtime rates to employees who worked the extra time, it cost the company $48,776, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.
That’s $24,388 in owed overtime pay and $24,388 in liquidated damages that went to 11 employees of Drevo Inc., an average of $4,434.18 per employee.
Had Drevo obeyed the Fair Labor Standards Act, the company would have paid those 11 employees time and a half for overtime worked. Instead, Wage and Hour Division investigators found, Drevo kept paying those workers at the regular rate (“straight time.”)
State records say president Slavomir Valko runs Drevo out of his 2,972-square-foot Palm Coast home. Messages left at Drevo and another number for Valko were not returned.
“Workers deserve to be paid all the wages they earn. Employers who fail to pay workers what the law requires may owe back wages, plus liquidated damages and even civil money penalties. Taken as a whole, these can quickly add up to a costly lesson,” said a statement from Wage and Hour Division District Director Wildalí De Jesús. “We encourage other employers to use this investigation’s outcome as an opportunity to review their pay practices to avoid similar violations.”
To file a complaint
The Wage and Hour complaint section of Labor’s website contains information on if you believe your employer has violated FLSA or other labor laws. Miami’s Wage and Hour Division office can be reached at 305-598-6607. The national helpline is 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).
