Feds collect $129,000 in back wages for Ziegler Tire workers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – An Ohio-based company is paying more than $129,000 in back wages to 154 works at two locations in Kentucky, including Lexington, as well as outlets in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

A federal investigation by the Department of Labor found overtime and recordkeeping violations by Ziegler Tire resulting in the recovery of $129,612 in back wages, the Labor Department said in a release.

More than $12,000 of that was in Lexington.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division said it found Ziegler Tire called mechanics and tire technicians in the evening after normal working hours to complete auto service repairs.

The employer failed to add these “call-out” hours to the total hours these employees worked, and failed to include commissions and call-out bonuses in workers’ regular rates of pay when determining overtime rates, the department said.

These failures led to “systemic overtime violations” of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Ziegler’s failure to record all the hours employees worked resulted in recordkeeping violations, according to the release. 

“Employers who fail to pay their workers all their hard-earned wages shortchange these people and their families and gain an unfair advantage over competitors who abide by the law,” said Wage and Hour District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh. “The Wage and Hour Division provides many tools and resources to help employers avoid violations and fully comply with the law.”

The investigation led to recovery of back wages at the following The Ziegler Tire and Supply Company locations, which operate as Ziegler Tire at:

Based in Massillon, Ohio, The Ziegler Tire and Supply Co. operates commercial service centers providing tires and other services. It is one of the largest wholesale distributors in Northeast Ohio.