US Department of Labor also recovers $17.3K in unpaid overtime, damages for 17 employees
MANCHESTER, NH – When a Vermont employer fired an employee who said they would contact the “labor board” if they did not get paid for job-related travel time, the company violated federal protections against retaliation and found themselves facing costly consequences after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation.
An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined Bevins & Son Inc. — operating as Bevins Excavating in Milton — terminated a worker for asking to be paid in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. The act prohibits employers from discharging or discriminating against an employee who exercises their rights, including filing a complaint or participating in an investigation. To resolve the violations, the employer paid the former employee $25,000 in punitive damages and $3,310 in back pay and liquidated damages.
“The Wage and Hour Division will not tolerate employers retaliating against workers who exercise their federally protected rights to seek their full wages and to report their concerns,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Steven McKinney in Manchester, New Hampshire. “The Fair Labor Standards Act forbids employers from attempting to silence workers who question or report their pay practices.”
“This case sends a message to employers that any form of threat or retaliation against workers can have steep consequences,” added...
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