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Serving the Workers Who Serve Us
Serving the Workers Who Serve Us
Filed in Wage and Hour Issues • By: Michael Speer • September 13, 2022
Throughout the U.S., service sector workers provide vital services to keep American businesses and homes running smoothly. Too many of these workers, however, are denied the respect and appreciation they deserve when their paychecks come up short. When that happens, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division stands ready to help these workers get the wages they’ve earned. Take Ann’s case, for example.
Ann came to the U.S. thinking she was pursuing a new and better life. She was recruited to work at Whispering Pines Inn, an Oklahoma bed and breakfast and restaurant. While at the inn, Ann’s duties included serving guests, cooking and cleaning for 70 or more hours per week. Her employers required that she live at the inn, and she was underpaid, in violation of federal law requiring minimum wage and overtime pay.
Fortunately for Ann, the Wage and Hour Division launched an investigation into Whispering Pines Inn and found multiple labor violations. As a result, the department sued Ann’s employers and reached a settlement agreement awarding affected employees a total of $27,000 in back wages and liquidated damages.
After putting the experience at the inn behind her, Ann found a new job as a housekeeper and applied for naturalization as a U.S. citizen – a goal she achieved in March 2022.
{snip}
Filed in Wage and Hour Issues • By: Michael Speer • September 13, 2022
Throughout the U.S., service sector workers provide vital services to keep American businesses and homes running smoothly. Too many of these workers, however, are denied the respect and appreciation they deserve when their paychecks come up short. When that happens, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division stands ready to help these workers get the wages they’ve earned. Take Ann’s case, for example.
Ann came to the U.S. thinking she was pursuing a new and better life. She was recruited to work at Whispering Pines Inn, an Oklahoma bed and breakfast and restaurant. While at the inn, Ann’s duties included serving guests, cooking and cleaning for 70 or more hours per week. Her employers required that she live at the inn, and she was underpaid, in violation of federal law requiring minimum wage and overtime pay.
Fortunately for Ann, the Wage and Hour Division launched an investigation into Whispering Pines Inn and found multiple labor violations. As a result, the department sued Ann’s employers and reached a settlement agreement awarding affected employees a total of $27,000 in back wages and liquidated damages.
After putting the experience at the inn behind her, Ann found a new job as a housekeeper and applied for naturalization as a U.S. citizen – a goal she achieved in March 2022.
{snip}