Monroe WI - The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the recovery of $51,065 in back wages and overtime back pay for 111 low-wage workers employed at Roth Kase USA Ltd., a cheese producer located in Monroe, Wis. The Labor Department also issued $2,640 in fines for youth employment violations.

The investigation, conducted as part of a local initiative directed at cheese processors in Wisconsin by the U.S. Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division, determined that between November 2004 and November 2006 Kase did not compensate its employees for changing in and out of uniforms at the beginning and ending of their shift, which resulted in overtime violations. The company also allowed a 16-year-old minor employee to drive a company vehicle on several occasions and to work on or about a roof, both of which are violations of the youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The FLSA requires employees to be paid the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and, unless exempt, time-and-one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. Employers must also maintain accurate time and payroll records. The department's youth employment regulations identify 17 hazardous occupations prohibited for workers under the age of 18, including restrictions on youths operating motor vehicles and banning most jobs in roofing operations.

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Further Information:
Cheese Producer to Pay Back Wages and Penalties after U.S. Labor Department Investigation of Fair Labor Standards Act Violations

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