Cement company will pay $1.5M in overtime in NC, seven other states

Cemex, a worldwide cement maker, has agreed to pay $1.5 million in overtime to 1,705 truck drivers in North Carolina and seven other states, settling a federal court lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

Posted 7:08 p.m. Dec 30, 2010 — Updated 7:55 p.m. Dec 30, 2010

RALEIGH, N.C. — Cemex, a worldwide cement maker, has agreed to pay $1.5 million in overtime to 1,705 truck drivers in North Carolina and seven other states, settling a federal court lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

The department began an investigation of Cemex pay practices after receiving a complaint about the company's Tampa, Fla., operation, it said. That expanded to include Cemex workers in California, Georgia, New Mexico, South Carolina and Texas.

The workers involved drive ready-mix trucks for the company, which is the U.S. subsidiary of Mexico-based CEMEX, S.A. de C.V.

Cemex is the largest ready-mix supplier in the U.S., and the parent companies has worldwide operations.

The Labor Department said 2008 information from Cemex showed it comprises 18 cement plants either wholly or partially owned, 536 ready-mix plants, 102 aggregates quarries, 43 land distribution centers and 11 marine terminals.

The parent company trades on the New York Stock Exchange and is valued at $10.37 billion.

The Labor Department investigation began in September 2008.

“This legal action involving more than $1.5 million in back wages for more than 1,700 employees is intended to ensure that the company complies with federal overtime laws now and in the future," Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in a statement announcing the settlement. "Earning overtime pay is how many Americans make ends meet, even though working long hours often means significant sacrifices for workers and their families.”

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