DOL cleaning up labor violations in Houston janitorial industry
Houston, Texas-based CAM Cleaning Services recently agreed to pay 81 employees $104,374 in back wages for unpaid overtime. The cleaning company was investigated by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and was found to be violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime and recordkeeping provisions.
According to the investigation, the employer was paying employees straight time for all of their hours worked rather than the premium pay rates they were owed for their time attendance. Under the FLSA, non-exempt employees must be paid time-and-a-half their regular pay rate if they work more than 40 hours during a single pay period.
However, employers in low-paying industries are often vulnerable to labor rights violations. Earlier this summer, janitors in the Houston area fought to receive higher wages from cleaning contractors, which resulted in a strike because the employers said the overarching corporations were unwilling to bump up pay rates, The Nation reports.
"Workers in the janitorial industry are among the most vulnerable in the workforce," said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Southwest Wage and Hour Division. "The Labor Department will use every enforcement tool necessary to ensure that employees are paid their rightful wages."
Employers can avoid investigations and penalties by keeping payroll practices in compliance with the FLSA. This can be made easier with a timeclock or another timekeeping services that automatically calculates employees' pay rates and issues paychecks on time.
According to the investigation, the employer was paying employees straight time for all of their hours worked rather than the premium pay rates they were owed for their time attendance. Under the FLSA, non-exempt employees must be paid time-and-a-half their regular pay rate if they work more than 40 hours during a single pay period.
However, employers in low-paying industries are often vulnerable to labor rights violations. Earlier this summer, janitors in the Houston area fought to receive higher wages from cleaning contractors, which resulted in a strike because the employers said the overarching corporations were unwilling to bump up pay rates, The Nation reports.
"Workers in the janitorial industry are among the most vulnerable in the workforce," said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Southwest Wage and Hour Division. "The Labor Department will use every enforcement tool necessary to ensure that employees are paid their rightful wages."
Employers can avoid investigations and penalties by keeping payroll practices in compliance with the FLSA. This can be made easier with a timeclock or another timekeeping services that automatically calculates employees' pay rates and issues paychecks on time.
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