US Department of Labor recovers $170K in back wages for 60 workers denied overtime pay by Virginia transportation company

News Brief

US Department of Labor recovers $170K in back wages for 60 workers denied overtime pay by Virginia transportation company

Employer name:

KDK Transport Co.

Investigation site:

203 Front St. W., Coeburn, Virginia

Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Divisionfound the non-emergency medical transport company applied the Motor Carrier Exemption mistakenly and, by doing so, failed to combine all hours worked by drivers, including driving and wait times, when computing total weekly hours for overtime wages for 60 drivers. These actions violated the Fair Labor Standards Actwhich requires all non-exempt employees to earn time-and-a-half their regular rate of pay for hours over 40 in a workweek.

Back wages recovered: $170,439 for 60 workers

Quote: "Companies must understand their legal responsibilities and obligations to pay employees all of their earned wages," said Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh. "The Wage and Hour Division has professionals ready to assist employers in avoiding compliance issues."

Background: Employers can contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE. The division also offers numerous online resources for employers, such as a fact sheet on Fair Labor Standards Act wage laws overtime requirements. Workers who feel they may not be getting the wages they earned may contact a Wage and Hour Division representative in their state through a list and interactive online map on the agency's website. Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department's Android Timesheet App for free.

Learn more about Wage and Hour Division.