The U.S. Department of Labor is in the process of locating hundreds of workers who are entitled to a portion of over $3.8 million in unpaid overtime wages. These wages were withheld by a staffing agency and a cleaning contractor based in Hawaii, following an investigation and subsequent litigation.
The department's Wage and Hour Division discovered that Alacrity Employment Services, located in Kilauea, along with Hawaii Care and Cleaning Inc., based in Lihue, failed to pay overtime wages to 1,133 employees between March 5, 2021, and November 13, 2024. The investigation also revealed that these employers often falsified payroll records to conceal their violations.
"Overtime worked should be overtime paid," stated Min Kirk, Acting District Director for the Wage and Hour Division in Honolulu. "An employer cannot evade their responsibility for overtime pay by using schemes such as excluding workers from payroll or underreporting their actual work hours."
On January 14, 2025, the Office of the Solicitor obtained a consent judgment from the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. This judgment mandates that Hawaii Care and Cleaning, Alacrity Employment Services, along with their owners William Allen and Amy Galtes, must pay $1.9 million in back wages plus an equal amount in damages to affected employees. Additionally, they are required to pay $50,000 in civil penalties due to willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Individuals who worked for these companies during the specified period are encouraged to contact the division’s Honolulu District Office at (808) 541-1361 to determine if they are eligible for back wages and damages.
For more information about the Wage and Hour Division or if you believe you may be owed back wages collected by them, visit their website which includes a search tool. Employers and workers can also reach out via the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The division offers a free Timesheet App available on iOS and Android devices for tracking hours worked and pay received.
