NJ Drywall Firm Ordered to Pay $725K Over Overtime Violations
P & B Partitions Inc. must pay 48 workers $725,000 after denying overtime for pre-shift wait time, a federal court ruled.
A New Jersey drywall contractor must pay $725,000 in back wages, damages, and civil penalties after federal investigators found it failed to compensate 48 workers for time spent waiting before shifts, the U.S. Department of Labor announced.
The Wage and Hour Division determined that Voorhees-based P & B Partitions Inc. did not pay employees for pre-shift periods when they waited for transportation to job sites — a practice that violates the Fair Labor Standards Act's overtime provisions. The consent judgment and final order was entered June 26, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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Under the court-ordered settlement, the company is required to pay $350,000 in back wages and an equal $350,000 in liquidated damages to affected workers, along with an additional $25,000 in civil penalties. Liquidated damages, which effectively double the back-pay award, are a standard FLSA remedy meant to compensate workers for the delay in receiving wages they were legally owed.
"Tasks completed to prepare for the job, and in this case, while waiting to get to the worksite, is work that must be compensated," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Charlene Rachor. Regional Solicitor of Labor Jeffrey S. Rogoff added that the case illustrates the financial consequences employers can face for non-compliance with federal wage law.
The Labor Department noted that both workers and employers can reach the Wage and Hour Division through its toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE, and that employers have access to compliance toolkits and a voluntary self-reporting program to resolve potential violations before they reach litigation. Continue reading at DOL News Releases and Briefs.
