Kanawha County Parks has to pay up after federal investigators say pay rules were violated

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday it has recovered more than $27,000 in back wages to Kanawha County Parks and Recreation workers who were denied overtime pay and proper comp time.

Investigators with the DOL said Parks and Rec violated the Fair Labor Standards Act when seven seasonal employees were told they were not due overtime even though they worked more than 40 hours in a week. The DOL also said the Parks and Recreation Commission failed to properly compute comp time for 17 year-round employees.

“We encourage employers to contact the Wage and Hour Division for compliance assistance to ensure full-time and seasonal workers are paid correctly,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont.

A Department of Labor news release said nine workers at Big Bend received a total of $5,234 in back wages while 15 workers at Coonskin Park collected $8,405. An additional $13,639 was paid in liquidated damages.