More than 200 Securitas security workers at Hawaii airports are receiving back pay following a labor law violation investigation.
The U.S. Department of Labor said a branch office of California- based Securitas Security Services USA Inc. paid 226 employees a combined $176,810 and a separate $22,000 fine.
Affected employees provided security services at state airports in Honolulu, Kona, Lihue and Kahului, the department said.
The back pay, which averages $782 per worker, was owed for time employees worked during unpaid meal breaks, according to the federal agency.
The agency said that Securitas employee meal breaks were frequently interrupted by the need to resume work at the four airports, and that Securitas automatically recorded full meal breaks as time off work even when breaks were interrupted.
A failure to keep accurate records of work hours also was a labor law violation, the agency said.
“When employees return to work and are not completely relieved of duty during a meal break, employers must pay for interrupted breaks as work time,” the agency said in its announcement Wednesday.
Terence Trotter, director of the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Honolulu, suggested in a statement that the results of the Securitas investigation are an opportunity for other employers to review their practices and avoid similar violations.
“The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that employers pay workers all the wages they have legally earned,” he said.
More information about the Fair Labor Standards Act and other laws the agency enforces is available through a toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).
The agency also said violations of overtime or minimum wage rules can be reported by employers and resolved without litigation through the agency’s Payroll Audit Independent Determination (PAID) program. Additional wage law information for employers and employees can be found at dol.gov/agencies/whd.
