Furniture manufacturer pays $93K in back wages and damages for denying overtime to piece-rate workers
An investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has determined that Alumatech Furniture Manufacturing Inc. failed to pay eight workers their overtime rate. The company, which manufactures outdoor furniture, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and did not pay overtime to piece-rate and commission-based workers when required.
This is not the first time the company failed to pay workers properly. A prior investigation, which looked at pay records from September 2016 through September 2018, found that the employer had failed to pay overtime premiums to piece-rate workers and was forced to pay more than $8,000 in back wages and an assessment of $734 in civil money penalties to resolve its violations. For its current investigation, Alumatech Furniture Manufacturing will have to pay $92,562 in back wages and liquidated damages to the affected workers, as well as $8,328 in penalties for repeat violations.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, Wage and Hour Division District Director Nicolas Ratmiroff said, “The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring workers get every dollar they earned. Employers who choose to pay employees by piece or hour must still pay non-exempt employees the required overtime rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Employers should contact the Wage and Hour Division to ensure their pay practices comply with the law. Faulty pay practices can lead to sizeable wage and damage recoveries and possibly penalties, all of which makes for a very costly lesson.”
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn