A lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Labor has resulted in a federal district court order that requires Honolulu-based Blue Wave Tours Inc. to pay $40,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 22 workers.
The case arose after an investigation found the employer in violation of the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Investigators with the Wage and Hour Division in Hawaii determined that the employer paid tour bus drivers solely on a trip basis without regard to the number of hours actually worked in excess of 40 in a workweek.
“Regardless of whether an employee is paid on a trip or an hourly basis, their work time must be accurately recorded and properly paid, including the overtime premium for hours worked after 40 in a workweek,” said Terence Trotter, the division’s district director in Hawaii.
Blue Wave Tours must also post a copy of a legal notice to employees advising them of their rights under the FLSA.
Submitted by the UD DOL