Texas hurricane cleanup workers receive overtime back pay

The United States Department of Labor recently recovered more than $100,000 in overtime back wages for 57 Hurricane Ike cleanup workers who had been inaccurately classified as independent contractors by their Anahuac, Texas, employer.

The misclassification resulted in the workers' time and attendance being wrongfully exempted from the overtime payment requirements established in the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The department's investigation found that Cecil Parker Jr. - the owner of the debris cleanup company at which the workers were employed - routinely made his employees work long hours at a regular rate of pay, which is a breach of conditions set by the FLSA.

"Parker's employees worked 10-hour days, operating heavy equipment and performing strenuous labor, to remove millions of yards of storm debris," said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator of the Southwest branch of the Wage and Hour Division, in a statement. "We are pleased that these employees ... now will be properly compensated for all hours."

Elsewhere in Texas, class action suits were recently filed against Enterprise Products Partners and American Commercial Lines for failing to pay their employees overtime, the Southeast Texas Record reports.