Investigation recovers $693K in back wages, damages from Georgia contractor that schemed for years to deprive 110 workers on Hawaii projects of overtime

Summary:

The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $693,100 in back wages and damages from S&A Industries Inc., a Georgia-based prime contractor, for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The investigation found that the company paid construction workers straight-time rates for all hours worked, without paying overtime wages for hours over 40 in a workweek. The affected workers were employed by seven subcontractors to complete hotel renovation projects in Honolulu between 2019 and 2022. The Department recovered $346,550 in back wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages, and assessed $40,000 in civil money penalties. The investigation highlights the importance of paying overtime wages to workers, ensuring that construction cost savings are not taken out of workers' pockets. The Department's Wage and Hour Division has recovered more than $32.9 million in back wages for 17,127 construction industry workers in fiscal year 2022.