A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found Beaverton, Ore.-based TT & L Sheet Metal violated overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to a news release. As a result of the investigation, the construction contractor will pay $98,461 in back wages to 51 employees.
Investigators from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the Oregon-based employer failed to include time spent driving to worksites when totaling employees’ hours each week to determine whether overtime was due. Additional overtime violations occurred when TT & L Sheet Metal based overtime rates on employees’ lowest pay rates earned during the week. Additional violations resulted when the contractor deducted the cost of tools needed for employees’ jobs from employee pay calculations.
“Violations like these are among the most common that we find in this industry, and they are completely avoidable,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Thomas Silva, in Portland, Ore. “We encourage employers to use the wide variety of tools we provide or to reach out to us directly for confidential assistance in understanding and complying with federal labor laws.”