JAMUL (CNS) - A Jamul-based construction company was ordered to pay nearly $125,000 for failing to properly pay overtime wages to its employees, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday.
J S Plastering paid overtime hours at straight-time rates in unrecorded cash, rather than the time-and-one-half rate required by law, though its employees typically worked overtime on weekends after completing a 40-hour work week, according to the Department of Labor.
The department's investigation resulted in the recovery of $98,720 in overtime back wages owed to 39 employees. The company was also assessed $25,380 in penalties.
"Employers who try purposely to avoid paying overtime deny workers' basic right to get paid properly for all of the hard work they do," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Eric Murray. "The U.S. Department of Labor will hold violators like J S Plastering accountable and protect law-abiding employers against those who attempt to game the system and gain an unfair competitive advantage."
