Aegis Paid $507,899 in Back Wages

Aegis Mortgage Corp. has agreed to pay $507,899 in back wages to 340 employees to resolve violations of FLSA overtime requirements.

After the investigation, The Labor Department found that the Houston-based company misclassified its inside sales and loan processing employees as being exempt from overtime.

Vice president of corporate communications for Aegis Mortgage Pat Wente said the company has changed its payroll procedures to avoid this problem again.

The back wages have been paid in full.

Haitian Employees Gets $150,000 in Racial Discrimination Case

Dias Landscapes Corp., a Boynton Beach nursery, will pay $150,000 to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit this year, alleging Dias Landscapes fired longtime Haitian employees based on their race and nationality and replaced them with Hispanics. Two of the employees had worked for Dias for more than a decade.

Dias must implement an anti-discrimination training program and adopt an anti-discrimination policy. The company will also post a notice that it has settled the suit.

All training and notices must be translated into both Creole and Spanish.

Melville Settles Sexual Harassment Suit

A Melville benefits company has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a federal sexual harassment lawsuit.

On behalf of for former female employees, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit, claiming they were subjected to obscene name calling, sexual jokes, hugging and grabbing by the owner and his son.

The company also agrees to provide training for its employee and establish procedures and polices to address sexual harassment issues.

The company gives no comment.

Bush Backs Minimum Wage Hike

President Bush on Wednesday endorsed a Democratic proposal to increase minimum wage by $2.10 to $7.25 an hour over two years.

Bush stressed in a White House news conference,"I believe we should do it in a way that does not punish the millions of small businesses that are creating most of the new jobs in our country. So I support pairing it with targeted tax and regulatory relief to help these small businesses stay competitive."

The minimum wage hasn't increased since 1997.

"I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats to help both small-business owners and workers when Congress convenes in January." The president said.

Dillard's Settles Age-Discrimination Suit

Dillard's Inc., the department store chain, has agreed to pay $35 million to settle an age discrimination lawsuit.

Former participants in the Mercantile Stores Pension Plan filed the complaints in 2002 and 2004, claiming amendments to the plan violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Payment calculations were discriminatory by the age, the plaintiffs said.

Dillard's purchased Mercantile Stores in 1998 for $2.9 billion.

School District Settles Equal Pay Lawsuit

The Fort Osage School District, western Missouri, has agreed to pay $215,000 to settle an equal pay suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

On behalf of Jahala Kinser, the district's former assistant superintendent for educational services, EEOC filed the lawsuit in federal court in Kansas City, claiming that Jahala was paid less than men who held the same job before and after her, and the district refused renew her contract because of her complaints about the unequal pay.

The district also agreed to report the name, gender and salary of its assistant superintendents to the EEOC, and to modify its compensation policy.