Employer: Prior Vision LLC
590 Farrington Highway, Suite 524-445
Kapolei, HI 96707
Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Prior Vision misclassified 110 security guards and patrol officers as independent contractors and denied the employees required overtime pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Based on an evaluation of the significant factors of an employment relationship, investigators determined the claimed independent contractors were dependent on Prior Vision – not persons engaged in their own businesses. The division also found the employer failed to keep accurate records of all hours worked and wages paid.
Back wages recovered: $65,642 in back wages for 110 employees
$65,642 in liquidated damages for 110 employees
$36,000 in civil money penalties for the reckless nature of the violations.
Quote: “A worker’s right to overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek can’t be waived by employers,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Terence Trotter in Honolulu. “Mischaracterizing employees as independent contractors to avoid lawfully required wage standards, social security contributions or state-mandated insurance protections is illegal.”
Background: The U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule to help employers and workers better understand when a worker qualifies as an employee and when they may be considered an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The rule provides guidance and seeks to combat employee misclassification, a serious problem that impacts workers’ rights to minimum wage and overtime pay, facilitates wage theft, allows some employers to undercut their law-abiding competition and hurts the economy at large.