The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division is overseeing an enforcement initiative that is concentrating on the gas station industry in New Jersey after it discovered extensive noncompliance problems with the minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Wage and Hour Division led 74 investigations among gas stations throughout New Jersey during fiscal year 2011 and recovered $1,014,895 in back wages for 295 workers. Of the investigated facilities, 69 were British Petroleum stations. Once the BP stations were notified of the violations, BP Products North America Inc. addressed letters to all of its marketers in New York and New Jersey to remind them of FLSA requires, encouraging them to study their pay practices and deliver legal compliance.

"Employers are legally required to pay their employees for all hours worked," says Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The Labor Department's initial findings in this enforcement initiative revealed a culture of noncompliance by gas stations in New Jersey that will not be tolerated. The Wage and Hour Division will continue to monitor this industry for continued compliance."