The U.S. Department of Labor announced on March 9 that it has recovered $293,698 in back wages for 56 workers employed by Speedy’s Framing LLC, a residential construction company based in Nampa, Idaho. The recovery follows a federal investigation that found the company denied overtime pay to its employees in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to the department’s Wage and Hour Division, investigators determined that Speedy’s Framing LLC paid employees straight time rates for hours worked over 40 in a workweek instead of paying the federally mandated overtime premium. The division also found that one foreman was not compensated for travel time spent driving employer vehicles between the shop and work sites, resulting in additional unpaid overtime.
Back wages recovered for each affected worker ranged from $90 to $32,047. The employer also paid a $24,795 civil money penalty due to what the department described as the willful nature of the violations. "The U.S. Department of Labor is determined to hold employers accountable, particularly when they deliberately attempt to evade the law by denying workers overtime pay. Federal law protects workers’ rights to be paid their full, earned wages. We encourage employers to contact us for compliance assistance so they can prevent violations," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Katherine Walum in Portland, Oregon.
Speedy’s Framing agreed to pay all back wages and committed to comply with future requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act regarding overtime and recordkeeping. The FLSA requires most employees be paid overtime at time and one-half their regular rate for hours worked over 40 per week.
In related efforts supporting workplace equity, On August 24, 2022, the Department of Labor announced $3.4 million Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants administered by the department’s Women’s Bureau and Employment and Training Administration. Phoenix, Arizona has been awarded $542,358 through the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation according to the Department of Labor.
Employers or workers with questions about wage laws or compliance can contact the division's toll-free helpline or use agency resources such as industry-specific toolkits or its free timesheet app. More information is available on the official roster page.
