Workers get back pay in Kinko’s case

USDOL Finds Violations at Kinko’s

Six employees of Kinko’s received $21,642 in back wages following a US Department of Labor investigation of the Kinko’s branch in Ithaca. The violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act were uncovered after the Tompkins County Workers’ Rights Center filed a complaint on behalf of two of the employees.

The DOL found that Kinko’s had failed to record all hours worked, failed to pay overtime and violated federal record keeping procedures. Workers reported that they were regularly told to go punch out, yet return and continue working. When they failed to do that, and punched the clock to reflect actual hours worked, the employer would manually alter the times after the fact.

As a result of these violations Kinko’s workers were not paid for time they actually worked. “If Kinko’s had gone into these workers’ homes and stolen the $21,000 they would be in jail now,” stated Coert Bonthius, of the Workers’ Rights Center.

“We feel there are other instances like this occurring in Tompkins County,” said Workers’ Rights Center organizer Carl Feuer. “Requiring unpaid work or not paying overtime properly may be more common than many think.” Any Tompkins County worker wanting information about their rights under State and Federal labor law can contact the Workers Rights Center at 269-0409 or TCWRC@yahoo.com.

USDOL Contact: Catherine Quinn, Assistant District Director, 315/448-0630 x.25