labor lawAdivision of labor law center

“We are pleased that we were able to help these workers get back the pay they deserve,” said US Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao.

She was speaking after a two-year investigation in violations of the federal and Arkansas minimum wage laws, by a Huston based tree-trimming company. The company has been ordered to pay 2,501 employees, $1.8 million dollars in overtime pay, following the investigation by the Dept. of Labor.

The investigation lasted from August 2004 through to August 2006 after an employee of ABC Professional Tree Services complained. The Dept. of Labor found that as well as violating minimum wage laws in 16 states, they also fell foul of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The total ABC Professional Tree Services agreed to pay amounted to $1,801,507.

The U.S. Secretary of Labor, (Elaine L. Chao), assured the public that “the department will continue our efforts to ensure that employers are paying workers properly.”

ABC Professional Tree Services are current paying back overtime wages to employees in the following U.S. states.
New York, Maine, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, South Carolina, Ohio, North Caroline, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana and Arkansas.

A portion of the back wages will be paid to workers who were involved with the clean up operation after Hurricane Katrina. ABC Professional Tree Services provides clean up services after natural disasters, as well as tree trimming and cutting around power lines.

Employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act are entitled to be paid a minimum wage of $5.15 per hour for the first 40 hours worked each week. If an employee works over 40 hours a week, then they are entitled to and hourly rate of time-and-one-half for each hour worked.

The FLSA also requires that employers must keep accurate payroll records documenting the number of hours worked by an employee each week.

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