Florida Roofing Contractor Pays $51,000 in Back Wages, Penalties Following Investigation
LAKELAND, Fla. — A roofing contractor in Florida is paying $50,034 in back wages to 112 workers after the Department of Labor found it wasn't complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and providing overtime pay.
According to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, High Tower Roofing LLC — a Lakeland, Fla. roofing contractor — paid its workers a piece-rate and failed to pay the additional half-time premium for overtime hours. Investigators determined the employer paid roofers the same piece rate for all of their work, even when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. The law requires overtime at time and one-half workers’ regular rates of pay for hours beyond 40, even for those paid a piece-rate.