New York AG Settles With Reality Producer Sharp Entertainment Over Unpaid Overtime
by Grandybigs
Published on:
Published on:
New York’s Attorney General said today that the state has settled with Sharp Entertainment over the reality producer’s failure to pay overtime to dozens of workers. Eric Schneidermansaid the company behind Man v. Food, 90 Day Fiancéand many other shows agreed to pay $226,000 in restitution to employees and to reform their business practices.
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“Employees deserve fair pay for their work – period,” he said. “Our overtime laws are meant to guarantee that employees are fairlycompensated for their long hours. To date we’ve already won back over $630,000 for TV production workers in New York – and my office will continue to act to protectworkers’ fundamental rights.”
The settlement funds will be distributed to production assistants, associate producers and workers who performed equivalent tasks, the AG said.
The investigation found that, beginning in January 2009, Sharp Entertainment misclassified employees — including production assistants and associate producers — as exempt from overtime pay. As a result, many of these workers were entitled to OT pay but never received it. Sharp also did not keep adequate records listing the full amount of hours employees worked and did not provide employees with accurate statements of the hours they worked during each pay period.
Schneiderman noted that, along with the restitution, Sharp has agreed to several reforms:
Teh AG also said that Sharp Entertainment now must analyze the job duties of workers with the job title “producer” who earn below a certain amount to determine whether the workers are entitled to overtime.
“Employees deserve fair pay for their work – period,” he said. “Our overtime laws are meant to guarantee that employees are fairlycompensated for their long hours. To date we’ve already won back over $630,000 for TV production workers in New York – and my office will continue to act to protectworkers’ fundamental rights.”
The settlement funds will be distributed to production assistants, associate producers and workers who performed equivalent tasks, the AG said.
The investigation found that, beginning in January 2009, Sharp Entertainment misclassified employees — including production assistants and associate producers — as exempt from overtime pay. As a result, many of these workers were entitled to OT pay but never received it. Sharp also did not keep adequate records listing the full amount of hours employees worked and did not provide employees with accurate statements of the hours they worked during each pay period.
Schneiderman noted that, along with the restitution, Sharp has agreed to several reforms:
Notifying all Production Assistants and Associate Producers in writing that they are classified and will be treated as overtime-eligible, non-exempt employees that are entitled to bepaid at one and one-half times their regular rates for hours worked in excess of 40 in any work week.
Giving all employees true and accurate wage statements listing the amount of regular andovertime hours worked by employees.
Updating their employee handbook to include information about overtime pay eligibility.
Training current and newly hiredhuman resources staff, includingthe payroll department, as well as all of its supervisory personnel, who have substantial input or control over employees’ classification as overtime exempt and the handling of theirpay records.
Teh AG also said that Sharp Entertainment now must analyze the job duties of workers with the job title “producer” who earn below a certain amount to determine whether the workers are entitled to overtime.
