CWS 3.0: September 11, 2013

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Hotel Must Pay Staffing Firm Workers’ Back Wages

An ongoing investigation into hotels’ use of staffing firms in Florida resulted in a St. Augustine hotel being required to pay $18,000 in back wages to 13 staffing firm workers, the Department of Labor reported Monday.

The Castillo Real hotel used staffing firm Maja LLC to provide services such as housekeeping, groundskeeping and laundry, according to the department. The workers regularly worked more than 40 hours a week, but they were paid only straight time.

The investigation found the hotel to be a joint employer with the staffing firm because the workers were under the supervision and control of hotel management, according to the department.

“Hotels and motels subject to the [Fair Labor Standards Act] cannot use staffing companies to escape their responsibilities to classify and compensate employees properly for all hours worked,” said Michael Young, district director of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division’s Jacksonville District Office.