Horse stables in Arlington forced workers to accept less money than they earned

Arlington, TX – Most wage theft goes unreported because workers assume that their employer is always following the rules and they have their best interests in mind. However, companies are regularly reported and investigated once workers find that they need to speak out to receive protection from the government. It is also possible that individuals who are having workplace issues can retain an attorney and see if a lawsuit is necessary.

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Labor, a company that works with racehorses owed workers a large amount of unpaid wages [1].

Workers at horse stables were underpaid

The racing stables business had workers who were given titles related to walking and grooming racehorses in preparation for various events. They also cleaned the horses and various pieces of equipment and the stables themselves. During the course of their investigation, the Department of Labor found that the owner had not been paying workers properly for tasks performed at various locations which included stables and racetracks. Violations by the employer included improper record keeping of hours, not paying overtime after 40 hours of labor in a week, concealing hours for lower total pay, and trying to get workers to sign false timesheets.

Based on these findings, the company was ordered to pay just under $300,000 in back wages to the employees and other liquidated damages were awarded. These damages will be split among 170 workers at the company. Because the violations of labor laws were considered willful, the company also had to pay $46,200 in fines and penalties.

After the order was given, the court also placed an injunction that would prevent the company from retaliation against any of the workers who had reported being underpaid or joined the lawsuit. The business was also told that they cannot commit future labor law violations or ask their workers for any kind of labor off the clock.

Wage theft in Texas

Unfortunately for workers, situations like this are not unique. There are businesses in Texas and other states that regularly shortchange workers through overtime law violations, minimum wage violations, or simply not paying workers. This costs employees in the state millions of dollars each year, and any of these kinds of violations are considered illegal wage theft.

Labor attorneys are available in Arlington

Moore and Associates is a labor practice that helps people in Texas. Those who believe that may have been underpaid or have other employment law issues can contact the firm to schedule a meeting.

USAttorneys.com is a service that works with people who need to find a local lawyer. Anyone who needs a referral to a licensed attorney can call 800-672-3103 to get more information.

Firm contact info:

Moore & Associates

440 Louisiana Street, Suite 675, Houston, TX 77002

713-222-6775

www.mooreandassociates.net

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