A California company has paid 11 Asian employees more than $33,000 after an
investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found
that the company failed to pay their workers minimum wage and overtime in accordance
with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).For a Limited Time receive a
FREE HR Report "Top 10 Best Practices in HR Management." This comprehensive special report will give you the information you need to know about these current HR challenges and how to most effectively manage them in your workplace.
Download NowAn investigation determined Spencer Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of decorative pillows in South El Monte, California,
paid employees a straight "piece rate" based on the number of pillows
they completed. However, the piece rate resulted in an hourly wage that was
less than $5.15 an hour, the minimum wage, according to the department. In addition,
the piece rate pay system did not provide higher pay for overtime hours worked,
according to the department. Investigators say that they found recordkeeping
violations as well.
The FLSA requires employees be paid the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour
for all hours worked, time-and-one-half their regular rate for hours worked
over 40 per week, and that accurate time and payroll records are kept. The FLSA
applies to both hourly and piece-rate work.
The investigation covered the period between March 11, 2001 and March 11, 2003
and the company cooperated during the investigation.
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