A transportation company has been compelled to reimburse its employees a sum of $51,000 that it wrongfully withheld as overtime compensation.
Ard Trucking Company, situated in Timmonsville, South Carolina, will be disbursing more than $51,000 to 11 workers who were remunerated at regular rates for all hours worked, including those exceeding the normal work hours. Among the amount paid, a single worker will receive a compensation of over $15,000.
Investigators from the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor have determined that the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by neglecting to pay the legally required rate of one and a half times the regular wage for overtime work. Additionally, the company failed to maintain accurate records of work hours for certain employees. Moreover, when one employee resigned from the company, Ard Trucking even coerced them to bear the cost of their own uniforms, thereby causing their average hourly wage to dip below the minimum wage threshold.
“Not paying workers their full and legally earned wages is unethical and illegal,” said Jamie Benefiel, the Columbia district director of the Wage and Hour Division. “Employers must follow these standards and make sure their employees take home every cent they’ve earned. An employer’s failure to comply with the law can have costly consequences.”
