Eighteen employees at an Oklahoma City law firm are getting a combined $91,000 payout after federal investigators determined they were shortchanged on overtime pay for years of extra hours worked. The U.S. Department of Labor says Klingenberg & Associates paid non-exempt staff straight time no matter how many hours they logged, skipping the extra half-time premium required once someone crosses 40 hours in a week.
How the Violations Added Up
According to KOKH, the Wage and Hour Division investigated Klingenberg & Associates, PC, doing business as Klingenberg & Associates, in Oklahoma City, and reached a settlement agreement with the firm. The recovery totals more than $91,000 in back wages and damages, split evenly between $45,505.34 in back wages and $45,505.34 in liquidated damages for the 18 affected employees.
Investigators found that the firm violated the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime and recordkeeping requirements. The report notes that Klingenberg & Associates paid non-exempt employees straight time for all hours worked, rather than the additional half time due once employees passed the 40-hour mark in a workweek.
What Federal Officials Are Saying
Michael Speer said law firms are not exempt from following the law that requires employers to pay most workers an overtime premium when they work more than 40 hours in a week, per the same account. He also encouraged employers to use compliance assistance resources and to call the Wage and Hour Division with questions in order to avoid violations like these.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, most covered employees who are not exempt must receive overtime pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek at a rate of not less than one and one-half times their regular rate, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. That standard, also outlined by the agency's wage and hour division, applies broadly across industries, and the settlement makes clear it applies to law firms too.
Where Workers Can Get Answers
Oklahoma's state labor agency also fields questions from workers about wages, paydays, overtime, final pay and other workplace rights, according to oklahoma.gov. For the 18 employees at the center of this case, the settlement closes out a dispute over pay practices that federal investigators say ran afoul of decades-old wage protections.
