OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City oil service waste disposal company has settled charges by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of violating overtime, child labor and record-keeping federal laws.
According to the WHD, Backyard Energy Services failed to correctly classify employees, including some intrastate drivers while paying them a "flat daily" rate regardless of how many hours they worked resulting in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations. Backyard Energy also neglected to keep required records on employees' work hours and in violated child labor laws by employing a 17-year old to work a front-end loader track hoe, the WHD said.
"Employers have a legal responsibility to pay their employees for all of the hours that they work, including overtime hours," said WHD district director in Oklahoma City Michael Speer in a statement. "By enforcing the FLSA, the U.S. Department of Labor helps level the playing field for all employers and ensures workers get the wages and employment protections they are due."
The settlement includes Backyard Energy paying $253,399 in back wages and $2,163 in civil penalties, according to the WHD.