Georgia Waste Hauler Ordered to Pay Back Overtime Pay

After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division’s Atlanta District Office, investigators found that Mableton, Ga.-based Patterson Services violated the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The department found that the company failed to pay overtime to 29 truck drivers. It reported that Patterson paid drivers a fixed rate per day, without regard to how many hours they worked. This practice resulted in overtime violations when the employees worked more than 40 hours in a week and the employer failed to pay the required time and one-half their regular rate of pay for overtime. The employer also failed to maintain required time and payroll records.

Patterson will comply with the FLSA and pay 29 employees a total of $150,000 in back wages.  

“These Patterson Services’ truck drivers put in long hours to support their families and deserve to be paid properly,” Eric Williams, district director for the wage and hour division in Atlanta said in a statement. “This case highlights the urgency for employers’ to review and comply with the labor laws that apply to their businesses. It is the employer’s responsibility to know and ensure employees receive the proper wages they have legally earned. The Wage and Hour Division will continue to enforce the law and to provide education to make sure that happens.”