A Harris County man is suing his former employer, Alliance Tank Fabrication, over allegations of lack of overtime pay.
Valeriano Bravo filed the suit July 29 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against Alliance Tank Fabrication, claiming that his employer knew he worked regularly in excess of 40 hours a week but did not pay him overtime wages per the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to the complaint, the defendant, based in Fort Worth, employed the plaintiff as a welder from November 2013 to May 2015. Initially, the plaintiff was paid $10 an hour, a rate that increased to $11 per hour within a few months. His work hours were 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, which amounts to 52.5 hours per week. On several occasions, he claims he worked longer, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., on weekdays and occasionally 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends.
The counts in the court case are failure to pay overtime, failure to maintain accurate records, and collective action allegations.
The plaintiff seeks a jury trial as well as an award of all unpaid overtime, attorneys' fees and court costs. He is represented by Zulfiqar N. Prasla of the Parasla Law Firm of Houston.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas case number 4:15-cv-02176.