Auto shop owner who paid worker in 91,500 oily pennies ordered to pay $40,000 more

Auto shop owner who paid worker in 91,500 oily pennies ordered to pay $40,000 more
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Summary A federal judge ruled that Miles Walker owes $39,934 to nine workers for unpaid overtime and damages

ATLANTA (AP) — The owner of an auto repair shop who paid a former employee with 91,500 oily pennies has been ordered by a judge to pay nearly 4 million more cents.

A federal judge ruled that Miles Walker, who owns A OK Walker Autoworks in Peachtree City, Georgia, owes $39,934 to nine workers for unpaid overtime and damages.

Attorneys for Walker agreed to the payments to settle a civil lawsuit brought by the US Labor Department that accused Walker of retaliating against former employee Andreas Flaten in 2021.

After Flaten filed a complaint with the agency saying Walker owed him a final $915 pay cheque, the employer dumped that amount in oil-covered pennies in Flaten’s driveway. The mountain of loose change came with a pay stub signed with an expletive.

The Labor Department said further investigation found that Walker’s business had also violated overtime provisions of the federal Fair Standards and Labor Act.
 

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