6th Circuit affirms DOL backpay award

Yesterday in Chao v. Akron Insulation & Supply (unpublished), the 6th Circuit affirmed a district court judgment in favor of the DOL finding the employer owed $94,000 to employees for back pay and overtime.  The case is a good primer (or at least refresher) on the issue of what is "work time."  The case should be a wake up call for any employer that requires its employees to be present for instruction prior to an official start time.  The case is also a good reminder on the importance of keeping accurate "hours of work" records -- not just for compliance, but also to aid in the defense of a back-pay claim.

Post-Script --  On generally the same topic, see today's DOL announcement, "Sterling Jewelers Agrees to Pay $1.29 Million in Back Wages to 16,820 Workers in 41 States"