The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found Star, Idaho-based construction contractor Any Weather Exteriors violated the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to a news release from the agency. As a result of the violations, the contractor will pay $51,328 in back wages and liquidated damages to 25 employees.
Investigators from the agency determined Any Weather Exteriors paid employees straight-time rates for all the hours they worked and failed to pay overtime rates when employees worked more than the standard 40-hour workweek. The Idaho contractor also misclassified two employees as independent contractors, resulting in additional overtime violations when Any Weather Exteriors failed to correctly record hours worked for these employees. The construction contractor also failed to maintain time and payroll records for its employees, according to the Wage and Hour Division.
“Employers must comply with federal laws and ensure employees receive the wages they have rightfully earned,” said Wage and Hour Division district director Thomas Silva, in Portland, Ore. “Simply because a practice may appear to be common in an industry doesn’t mean that it’s legal.”