Overtime Investigation Launched in Louisiana

Bossier City, Louisiana is the subject of a recent overtime fraud investigation. City officials are looking into nearly $60,000 of unpaid overtime that may be owed to one building maintenance worker who is about to retire. The employee requested calculations on his retirement benefits and any unpaid overtime he may have been owed. What city officials discovered were substantial discrepancies between the worker’s time card and the hours recorded on his payroll time sheets, according to a report in the Shreveport Times.

Officials reportedly suspect that the fraud was intentional. The time sheets were signed by the building’s maintenance director after being recorded by a clerical worker. The amount of unpaid overtime the city plans on compensating the employee, $57,951, is only from the last three years, as that is the amount of retroactive pay for which they are liable. This is the case with many, but not all, unpaid overtime claims.

The maintenance employee was found to have been working 50 hours each week, but only being paid for 40. He was told by a superior to work the extra time, and this practice had reportedly gone on for 6 years without any evidence of a reprimand or notice from the city asking him to work fewer hours. 

If you suspect that you are not being paid what you are owed, contact our experienced overtime attorneys for a free consultation. Remember: training, meetings, time worked “off the clock” and breaks between 5 and 20 minutes are all considered compensable time. To learn more about your overtime rights, browse our site for information on state and federal overtime laws.