A Manchester chimney services provider has settled claims that it broke the anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act by paying $26,163 to three employees.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division discovered that in June 2021, an employee was let go by Ceaser Chimney Service Inc. after inquiring about their legal rights with the New Hampshire Department of Labor, according to a Jan. 25 news release.
“The U.S. Department of Labor takes allegations of employee retaliation very seriously. Federal law protects workers’ ability to exercise their rights freely without fear of reprisals,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Steven McKinney said in the release.
During its inquiry, the employer reportedly unlawfully questioned two other workers about their conversations with the Wage and Hour Division, the release reported. The Fair Labor Standards Act’s anti-retaliation clauses forbid employers from firing or treating unfairly any workers who take part in protected activities, such as making a complaint, helping with an inquiry or even just inquiring about their pay.
McKinney said employees have the right to contact the Labor Department and other agencies about their employer’s pay practices and to speak openly with investigators and other Labor Department officials during an investigation, according to the release.
“The division will continue to enforce these protections vigorously and make it clear – as Ceaser Chimney Inc. has learned – that retaliation against workers has costly consequences,” he said, the release reported.
He encouraged workers and employers in northern New England to contact the Labor Department’s Manchester District office to learn what rights and responsibilities are guaranteed under federal law, according to the release.
