CHARLESTON – A federal court has ordered a West Virginia-based natural gas pipeline construction management company to pay $3.7 million for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division investigated Team Environmental LLC, which is based in Millwood. The WHD team found that the company paid its inspectors day rates for all hours they worked but didn't pay overtime when they did work more than 40 hours in a week from October 2012 to May 2015.
The company claimed they paid employees according to "industry practice. Still, it was ordered to pay 300 safety inspectors $1,850,000 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages for violating the FLSA.
“Team Environmental LLC’s practices resulted in their employees taking home less money than they had legally earned,” WHD District Director John DuMont said. “Other employers should use this as an opportunity to evaluate their own pay practices using the many tools we provide to ensure that they comply with federal labor law. Costly violations like those in this case can be avoided.”
In addition to paying the back wages and damages, the company is enjoined from violating provisions of the FLSA in the future.