Department of Labor recovers $254K in back wages, damages for 20 workers denied overtime by Bergen County landscaping company

Employer name:       John Mirza Landscaping Inc.  Employer address:    49 Spring Valley RoadMontvale, NJ 07645 Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found the employer failed to pay non-exempt landscapers the overtime premium of time and one-half employees’ hourly rates for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Back wages recovered: $127,496 to 20 employeesLiquidated damages recovered: $127,496 to 20 employeesQuote: “The onus is on landscaping employers to understand federal labor laws and not shortchange employees’ hard-earned wages by paying straight time hourly rates for overtime hours worked,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Paula Ruffin in Mountainside, New Jersey.For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.