A company that employs janitors who clean Target stores in California, Arizona,
Nevada, Texas, and New Mexico, has agreed to pay $1.9 million in back wages
to 775 employees to settle allegations that the company violated the overtime
provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Investigators from U.S. Department of Labor and the California Division of
Labor Standards Enforcement say they found that employees of Global Building
Services, which is based in Newhall, California, paid a fixed hourly wage, usually
in cash, for all hours worked. The affected employees, most of whom are Hispanic,
typically worked eight hours per day, six or seven days per week, according
to the DOL. The FLSA requires that employees be paid one-and-one-half times
their regular rate of pay for work hours in excess of 40 per week.
The terms of the settlement are outlined in a consent judgment entered with
the U.S. District Court of Central California on August 24. The back wages compensate
employees for work performed prior to February 11, 2003. The DOL says Global
Building Services cooperated with the investigation and has agreed to comply
with federal wage and hour laws in the future.
The Wage and Hour Division and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
are partners in an alliance to educate workers and employers on workplace rights
and responsibilities.
Target tells the New York Times that it requires all contractors to
comply with all workplace laws, saying it is reviewing the case and will take
"appropriate action."
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