The Liberty County Board of Commissioners is to pay $209,106 (£158,273.38) in back pay to 131 employees for violating overtime and record keeping regulations.
An investigation by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), part of the US Department of Labor, found that The Liberty County Board of Commissioners, based in Hinesville, Georgia, failed to pay courthouse guards, jail guards and patrolmen for all the hours they worked. This included staff not being paid to attend mandatory meetings or training sessions, as well as occasions where staff members covered shifts for other employees.
This practice meant that the organisation violated overtime regulations within the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when employees worked more than 40 hours over the course of the working week.
The Liberty County Board of Commissioners also failed to maintain accurate daily and weekly records of employees’ working hours, which does not comply with the FLSA’s record keeping requirements.
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Eric Williams, district director, Atlanta at the WHD, said: “The Wage and Hour Division works to ensure that employees receive the wages they [have] rightfully earned, and that employers compete on a level playing field.
“We encourage all employers to reach out to us and to use the wide variety of compliance tools we offer to help them understand their responsibilities. Violations like those found in this investigation can be avoided.”