Unsplash/Giorgio Trovato
A New Hampshire company that was found to have violated labor laws will pay $50,000 in punitive damages to a worker who was terminated after asking for owed overtime wages.
Smokers Haven and its owner, Brett Scott, disregarded anti-retaliation, overtime and record keeping requirements that are part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.
“Employees have the right under the Fair Labor Standards Act to request payment of their hard-earned wages without fear of retaliation and termination,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Steven McKinney in Manchester, N.H., said in a release detailing the ruling.
The Fair Labor Standards Act was established to protect workers. When employees think they have not been compensated or treated fairly, they are allowed to open a case confidentially, regardless of immigration status, according to DOL reporting procedures.
While the Act doesn’t limit the number of hours an eligible employee can work, it mandates that overtime should be paid any time a person exceeds 40 hours of labor in a regular workweek — a fixed, recurrent 168-hour period. Overtime is generally defined as 1.5 times regular pay.
