Mississippi companies ordered to pay $300,000 in back pay

Four Mississippi businesses are paying their workers back pay thanks to investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

The division found that the businesses violated federal overtime laws, among other violations, and ordered the companies to pay nearly $300,000 in combined, unpaid wages.

AJFC Community Action in Natchez, a nonprofit that provides Head Start programs, was ordered to pay $62,603 to 33 employees, according to WLBT.

Hattiesburg-based Doleac Electrical Co. allegedly violated apprenticeship laws in addition to violating overtime laws, according to a release from the Wage and Hour Division. The DOL ordered Doleac to pay $37,060 in back pay to its workers.

Maxem Health Urgent Care, which operates clinics in Picayune and Petal, Miss., incorrectly classified nurse practitioners as independent contractors, among other violations. Maxem has been ordered to pay $147,622 to 16 employees, according to a release from the Wage and Hour Division.

Primos Café, which has restaurants in Flowood, Madison and Ridgeland, failed to keep accurate records and allowed managers to illegally participate in tip pool for tipped employees. DOL ordered Primos to pay $50,388 to 229 employees, according to a release from the Wage and Hour Division.