Chicago sanitation company ordered to pay $60K in back wages, damages for overtime violations

CHICAGO - The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $60,084 in back wages, damages and interest for 10 workers who were shortchanged by Green Maintenance Services Inc., a sanitation company based in Chicago.

Federal Investigation

What we know:

A federal investigation found the company and its owner, Jan Jarosz, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay workers overtime rates for hours worked beyond 40 per week. 

The violations occurred between April 7, 2021, and April 6, 2023. 

One worker was also denied a final paycheck.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois entered a consent judgment on Dec. 27, 2024, resolving a complaint filed by the Department of Labor earlier in the year. 

Green Maintenance Services will pay $29,083 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages. 

Payments will be made in three monthly installments.

What we don't know:

The identities of the 10 affected employees have not been disclosed. It is also unclear if the company has faced similar violations in the past.

What they're saying:

Wage and Hour Division District Director Tom Gauza in Chicago weighed in on the judgment.

"For more than 85 years, federal law has required that employees receive time and one-half their hourly rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a week. This judgment puts those earned wages back in the hands of former employees shortchanged by Green Maintenance Services and Jarosz," said Gauza. "The Department of Labor will always protect the rights of workers in all industries to receive the pay they have rightfully earned."

Attorney Correll L. Kennedy from the Department of Labor’s Regional Office of the Solicitor litigated the case.