WOODS CROSS, Utah — A Woods Cross company is being ordered to pay over $600,000 in back wages to after the U.S. Department of Labor found it violated overtime rules.
According to the agency, C & E Stone Masonry, which is a tile installation company, paid 127 employees straight time for all hours worked, believing it did not have to pay overtime wages for piece work, even though the hours worked exceeded 40 hours in a week. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division also cited the business for failing to maintain accurate daily and weekly hours for their employees.
“Ignorance of the law is not a defense, especially when vulnerable workers are denied the wages they have rightfully earned,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Kevin Hunt in Salt Lake City. “Employers must be informed about labor laws, and must ensure that workers and their families who depend on their earnings and benefits are not harmed.”
In 2021, the division identified more than $36 million in back wages owed to workers in the construction industry alone. Most of the violations involve failure to pay overtime, not paying workers for time spent on work-related travel, and incorrectly classifying workers as independent contractors.