19 NH Contract Workers Receive 238K In Unpaid Overtime From Labor Dept

MANCHESTER, NH — A Federal Court entered a consent order against a Salem, NH, contractor on June. 2 after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found the contractor failed to pay 238k in unpaid overtime to 19 employees and violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Investigators found Belko Landscaping did not pay some employees one and one-half times their required pay rates for over 40 hours in a workweek. Instead, the employer paid workers their regular rates for overtime hours worked. The company also failed to record work hours for some workers accurately. Belko Landscaping and its president, John Belko, also paid $14,231 in civil penalties due to the nature of the violations.

"Paying straight-time rates for overtime hours worked shortchanges workers of the hard-earned wages they need to make ends meet, and violates the Fair Labor Standards Act,” said Wage and Hour District Director Steven McKinney. "Unfortunately, these types of violations are common in the landscaping industry. We encourage employers to contact the Wage and Hour Division about their responsibilities and workers to contact the agency with questions about their rights."