Richland onion processor pays nearly $90K to workers after overtime investigation

Weston Mountain Onions LLC, a Richland onion processor, paid 49 workers nearly $90,000 in overtime and penalties after a Department of Labor investigation concluded it denied workers required overtime.

The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigated complaints by employees who unloaded, sorted, cleaned and cut whole onions and packaged them for shipment.

A spokesman for Weston said the company agreed with the assessment, cooperated with investigators and has paid the back wages and damages to affected employees.

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, the department noted in a press release.

“Workers have the right to be paid correctly for all the hours that they perform,” said Thomas Silva, the Wage and Hour Division District Director in Seattle. “We are committed to helping employers understand their obligations and responsibilities under federal labor law and urge them to take advantage of our services.”

The federal agency said it collaborated with the Fair Work Center in Yakima on the investigation.