The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a consent judgment and injunction to recover $72,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 20 workers in Oklahoma. The workers were denied full wages due to the misapplication of the agriculture exemption by their employer, who failed to pay overtime for work exceeding 40 hours per week.

The judgment was entered on October 18, 2024, by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma against Robert K. Cook, III. Cook operates Rob’s Sod Inc., and Cook’s Farmland Enterprises LLC, which does business as Green Acre Sod Farm, Green Acre Sod & Landscape Center, and Enterprise Sod and Landscape Center at locations in Grove, Lawton, Owasso, and Stillwater. This legal action follows an investigation conducted by the department's Wage and Hour Division.

Michael Speer, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Oklahoma City, stated: “Employers must be familiar with federal regulations that apply to their business and make certain that workers are paid as the Fair Labor Standards Act requires.” He added that "the Wage and Hour Division is determined to hold employers accountable when they fail to meet their legal obligations to pay employees fully for the work they do."

Green Acre Sod Farm operates on 10,000 acres in Bixby and Haskell, Oklahoma; 6,000 acres on the Red River in Texas; and 2,000 acres in Mount Vernon, Missouri. Additionally, Green Acre Sod has ten retail stores throughout Oklahoma and Missouri.

For more information about the Wage and Hour Division or if you believe you may be owed back wages collected by the division, a search tool is available. Workers and employers can contact the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Calls are confidential with assistance available in over 200 languages.

The agency also offers a Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices in English and Spanish to help ensure accurate tracking of hours worked and pay received.