Pacific Quest, an overnight wilderness therapy center for adolescents and teens was recently ordered to pay 121 workers $225,413 in back wages for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime, record keeping and minimum wage provisions. Investigations by the Wage and Hour Division revealed the business, based in Hilo, Hawaii, was not issuing proper wages for employee attendance.

Employees resided at the campsites for their shifts, and often worked as many as 122 hours in a two-week pay period, far beyond the standard 40-hour week outlined in the FLSA. When nonexempt workers are required to exceed this amount of time, they are owed time-and-a-half wages for all additional hours worked.

Pacific Quest employees were not, and moreover, the business failed to keep records of their time attendance.

"These employees now have received the wages they earned for all hours worked," said Terence Trotter, district director for the Honolulu Wage and Hour Division. "The Department of Labor is committed to enforcing the FLSA to ensure a level playing field. No employer should derive a competitive advantage by circumventing the law."

Employers operating firms outside of a traditional facility can use a remote timeclock to keep accurate accounts of hours worked and ensure they are paying workers the proper wages. 

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