12 Jan 2015

American Samoa Govt to pay thousands in overtime wages

1:27 pm on 12 January 2015

American Samoa's Education Department has agreed to pay more than 17,000 US dollars in overtime wages to 20 employees.

It will also give almost 6,675 hours of paid leave to 44 workers who can use them as compensation for unpaid overtime hours of work in the future.

The US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found the Department paid bus drivers and technology department employees only for their scheduled weekly hours regardless of hours actually worked.

By doing so, overtime hours worked were under-reported.

The division's director in Hawaii says shifts such as transporting school children to extra-curricular events, had also been paid separately without contemplation of an overtime premium, as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Terence Trotter says the Department appreciates the American Samoa Government's full cooperation in resolving the matter.