The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recovered $133K in wages and damages for 56 landscaping workers denied overtime by a Longmont, Colo., landscaping company.
The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division found that Turf Paradise Inc. failed to pay 56 workers overtime when the company improperly claimed an exemption for seasonal recreational and amusement workers. The employer paid the affected workers their base rate when they should have paid time and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours over 40 in a workweek, violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The DOL recovered $66,316 in back wages and $66,316 in liquidated damages for the workers.
“Employers must comply with federal law and pay workers the overtime wages they are rightfully owed,” said Wage and Hour District Director David Skinner in Denver. “Employers have the obligation of understanding what the law requires. If you need help with any of the laws, please call the Wage and Hour Division.”
