Seminary, Miss., concrete finishing company JLB Development has paid $24,015 in back wages and liquidated damages to 25 employees after an investigation by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. According to a news release from the agency, the Mississippi company violated overtime and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Investigators determined that JLB Development incorrectly classified employees as independent contractors and paid them a flat day rate regardless of the number of hours they worked. The concrete finishing company in some instances did not pay employees overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a week, resulting in FLSA violations. Department of Labor investigators also found JLB Development failed to keep accurate records of the number of hours employees worked.
"Employers are obligated to pay their employees the wages they have legally earned," Wage and Hour Jackson, Miss., division director Audrey Hall said in a public statement. "Even if employees are paid flat rates, or on salaries, they are typically still due overtime when they work more than 40 hours in a week."
