Gas and electricity provider Unitil is facing a federal lawsuit over its overtime policies.
The U.S. Department of Labor alleges that Unitil, which serves customers in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, failed to pay overtime rates to at least 50 different employees, including electrical dispatchers and gas controllers.
Some Unitil employees, according to court paperwork, allegedly worked 60 and 70 hour weeks, but weren’t paid time-and-a-half wages, as required under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
In its civil case, federal regulators claim the company failed to accurately compensate some workers between January 2017 and June 2018, but says it’s possible the violation may be ongoing.
The Department is seeking payment of backwages, as well as the additional costs and fees. It isn’t clear how much in potential lost wages could be at issue.
A spokesperson for Unitil says the company, which has its headquarters in Hampton, N.H., is currently reviewing the suit. It is a publicly traded company.
