A commercial cleaning contractor that allegedly shortchanged 19 workers at a Federal Aviation Administration worksite in Pensacola by failing to pay overtime hours had to pay $39,806 in back wages and liquidated damages.
Cole Industries, which conducts business as Service Master Professional Cleaning Service, was found to be in violation of the Fair Standards Labor Act, the Department of Labor said in a March 7 release.
“Contractors and subcontractors who hire workers to perform work on projects funded by federal contracts must follow specific laws when paying those workers,” said Wildalí De Jesús, wage and hour district director in Orlando. “When employers fail to pay proper prevailing wages on government contracts or don’t pay overtime as required, they violate the law, shortchange workers and gain an unfair advantage over law-abiding employers.”
By paying certain workers an hourly rate on one job, and then a flat rate for a second job no matter how many hours were worked, the company violated overtime laws.
By failing to pay the proper prevailing wages and health and welfare benefits on government contracts, Service Master Professional Cleaning Service was also found to have violated the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act.
Failing to pay overtime, but instead paying a flat rate violated the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, the Department of Labor said.
