Federal officials are searching for hundreds of Hawaii janitorial workers who are owed millions in unpaid overtime after an investigation uncovered widespread wage violations by two Kauai-based companies.
The U.S. Department of Labor needs to locate over 1,100 employees who worked for Alacrity Employment Services in Kilauea and Hawaii Care and Cleaning Inc. in Lihue between March 2021 and November 2024, said Min Kirk, acting district director for the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Honolulu.
“Overtime worked should be overtime paid,” said Kirk. “An employer cannot evade their responsibility for overtime pay by using schemes such as excluding workers from payroll or underreporting their actual work hours.”
Federal investigators found the companies deliberately withheld overtime payments and falsified pay records to conceal violations affecting 1,133 workers.
Court judgment orders back wages and damages
A consent judgment obtained by labor officials in January requires the companies and their respective owners, William Allen and Amy Galtes, to pay $3.8 million total — half in back wages and half in damages to affected employees.
The judgment, issued in U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii on January 14, also includes $50,000 in civil penalties against the companies for willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
How to claim owed wages
Former employees of either company who worked during the affected period should contact the division’s Honolulu office at (808) 541-1361 to determine if they’re eligible for back wages and damages.
The Labor Department also provides a search tool for workers who believe they may be owed back wages, and offers a free timesheet app to help employees track their hours and pay.
