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Santa Ana, California - The U.S. Department of Labor has reclaimed $180,299 in back wages and damages from three Orange County residential construction contractors for violating federal pay regulations. A common violation in these cases was the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, depriving them of full wages and benefits.

Key Points

• Skeffington Enterprises Inc., Santa Ana: A general contractor, operating as Ben’s Asphalt, was found to not pay overtime premium rates for hours over 40 in a workweek, citing unclaimed lunch breaks. A total of $111,253 was recovered for 20 employees.
• Ziegler Inc., Anaheim: A manufacturer and installer of garage doors and iron gates, the company failed to pay workers minimum and overtime wages. The Department recovered $54,964 in back wages and damages for 19 employees and imposed $3,324 in penalties for willful violations.
• ABC Builders LLC, Costa Mesa: A construction contractor who misclassified security guards as independent contractors, avoiding overtime pay and proper record-keeping. The Division recovered $14,082 for three workers and assessed $1,995 in penalties.
• The Department’s Wage and Hour Division's investigations led to the recovery of $90,150 in back wages, matched in liquidated damages, and an additional $5,319 in civil penalties from these Southern California companies.