Arizona Roofers Win $147K after Labor Dept. Overtime Case

Consent judgment recovers back wages and damages for 61 workers.

By Tanja Kern, Senior Strategic Content Editor

clock-overtime — Photo by Jiri Ikonomidis.

The U.S. Department of Labor has obtained a consent judgment to recover $147,708 in back wages and liquidated damages for 61 roofers whose employer withheld overtime wages, in violation of federal law.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division determined the Phoenix, Ariz.-based Collum Roofing Inc. had neglected to pay workers the legally required time and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The employer paid hourly rates for some jobs and piece rates for others, resulting in straight-time pay for all hours worked. However, it failed to maintain time records for work performed under the piece rate, which is necessary to determine the number of hours worked for purposes of minimum wage and overtime compliance.

The July 11, 2025, judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona against Collum Roofing operators Robert and Michael Collum follows an investigation by the division that found the employer’s pay practices from May 7, 2021, through April 26, 2024, violated federal recordkeeping and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“Any employer found denying workers their required wages will be held accountable by the U.S. Department of Labor. In this instance, Collum Roofing’s actions were particularly egregious because the employer was aware of the wage law that required workers to be paid time-and-a-half for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek,” said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Mitchell Wood in Phoenix. “Employers are legally responsible for ensuring they pay workers their FLSA wages and may face costly consequences when our investigators find they fail to uphold that obligation.”

To address the willful nature of the violations, the division assessed Collum Roofing a $12,320 civil money penalty.

The FLSA requires that most employees in the U.S. be paid at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime pay at not less than time and one-half their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

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Tanja Kern covers economic trends and the intersection of architecture, design, and construction for Roofing Contractor, with an emphasis on the forces reshaping the industry. She develops and amplifies content that connects roofing professionals with the intelligence they need to compete and grow.

With more than 20 years of experience, Tanja has written for national business, consumer and trade publications. She holds a Master of Science in magazine publishing from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.