The case US Department of Labor v. Om Matteson Pizza, Inc., initiated in 2021, highlights that Rosati’s Pizza has been found in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Despite their employers’ management of their work schedules and responsibilities, delivery drivers were mistakenly classified as independent contractors.
Besides that, other violations include certain staff members who work more than 40 hours in a workweek not being paid overtime, misclassification of some management staff as exempt from the overtime rule, and not maintaining proper pay records for employees.
The case concluded with Rosati’s Pizza having to pay a total of $250k in back wages and liquidated damages to their employees. They are also required to accurately manage all employees’ records of work and overtime hours moving forward.
Key lessons from this case:
- Employees must be informed of their entitlements regarding overtime compensation and must notify the proper authorities of any infractions.
- It’s important to have written records of any agreements that workers make to work extra or on different schedules for the workweek. Regarding the number of overtime hours worked as well as the corresponding overtime rate, this paperwork could potentially avoid disagreements.
- Accurately tracking employees’ work hours can be improved by the implementation of trustworthy timekeeping systems. A solid system in place makes it possible to guarantee that proper documentation is readily available to support overtime claims.
If you want to know more about overtime regulations, read our guide on Illinois Overtime Laws.
