Disney workers awarded more than $433K in back pay
Fri, 27 Aug 2010
By Jeff Weiner, Orlando Sentinel
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has agreed to pay almost half a million dollars in back pay to employees as a result of violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday.
An agency investigation revealed that inventory control clerks in the company’s food and beverage department were not paid for work activities that occurred before and after their shifts, labor officials say.
Officials say the investigation also revealed that the clerks worked through meal times and from home without compensation.
According to a Department of Labor release, 69 employees with receive $433,819 in back wages owed by the company.
“While Walt Disney has specific rules regarding off-clock work, an investigation conducted by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that managers within the company were not adhering to those important policies,” Nancy Leppink of the agency’s Wage and Hour Division said in a statement.
“It is not enough to have policies,” Leppink said. “Management must also ensure that all supervisors are implementing them.”
The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes, among other things, minimum wage and overtime pay guidelines for employers. Time worked over 40 hours per week by qualified employees is considered overtime.
According to the release, the amount of hours worked includes “all time an employee must be on duty, or on the employer’s premises or at any other prescribed place of work.”
A request for comment from a company spokesman was not immediately returned.
Jeff Weiner can be reached at 407-420-5171 or jeweiner@orlandosentinel.com
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