Plastics manufacturer pays $154K for willful wage violations
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has recovered $154,009 in back wages and liquidated damages from Primex Plastics Corporation. According to the agency, the plastics manufacturer had failed to include bonus payments when calculating overtime for 743 workers. The issue was discovered by the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division while examining the company’s records from June 27, 2020, to June 26, 2022. Primex Plastics must also pay $128,589 in civil money penalties to the department for the willful nature of the violations.
Primex Plastics has a history of violating federal overtime regulations. The company had to pay $3,246 in 2002 for two salaried workers legally owed overtime. In 2010 and 2011, Primex Plastics had to pay $203,960 in back wages to 991 workers for failing to include bonuses in overtime calculations for hourly employees and material handlers that were incorrectly categorized as exempt from overtime.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, Wage and Hour Division District Director Steven Salazar said, “Employers must pay qualified workers overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek and include non-discretionary bonuses, such as those based on attendance or on quality and accuracy of work, when calculating overtime wages. Our investigation found Primex Plastics Corp. left bonuses out of their overtime calculations and, in addition to being liable for more than $150,000 in wages and damages, the company paid significant penalties for their violations.”
“Despite receiving information from our investigators about how to comply during multiple investigations, Primex still failed to pay employees their lawfully owed wages correctly,” added Salazar. “In cases like this one, where employers repeatedly violate workers’ rights, the department will pursue additional penalties to hold employers accountable.”
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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.
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