Natural gas contractors in Pennsylvania and West Virginia owe 5,310 employees $4,498,547, reports WV MetroNews.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division discovered violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act through an enforcement initiative from 2012 to 2014. FLSA requires employers to pay employees the federal minimum wage or more, time-and-a-half for any hours over 40 each week and keep accurate records of employees’ wages and hours.

The Wage and Hour Division attribute the labor violations, which were most commonly improper payment of overtime, to the industry’s fissured structure, meaning that dozens of companies operate on the same job site, which creates pressure on lower level subcontractors.

From WV MetroNews:

“The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, as well as time and one-half their regular rates for every hour they work beyond 40 per week. The law also requires employers to maintain accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment, and prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who exercise their rights under the law.”

Via: WV MetroNews > U.S. Department of Labor recovers wages for oil and gas workers in West Virginia