Report: Disney owed more than $400K in back wages

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.,None — A report just released by a research group from Florida International University found Florida employees are losing out on millions in wages.

WFTV checked, and found that Disney was one of the biggest offenders.

Labor officials said Disney owed dozens of employees more than $430,000 in back pay between 2008 and 2010. The employees didn't get paid for time when they worked from home.

The next closest offender owed nearly $300,000 less.

It's called wage theft. It happens when an employer doesn't pay you what the federal law requires.

In Orange County, the Center for Labor Research and Studies found that employers underpaid 2,400 employees more than $1 million between 2008 and 2011.

The biggest offender was Engineering Support Personnel with nearly $477,000 worth of back wages. Next up, the Walt Disney Co., with nearly $434,000 in back wages. The third biggest offender: Kelly's Professional Security Services with nearly $142,000 in back wages.

At Walt Disney Co., the U.S. Department of Labor found that 70 inventory control clerks were not paid for work before and after their shifts, working through meals and when working from home.

Tirso Moreno with the Farm Workers Association said the reported numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. He said he receives 400 complaints a month.

"It's a huge problem," Moreno said. "Many of the cases are not being reported. People don't believe we can do enough; they are afraid."

Right now the law does not protect people working for businesses with revenue under $500,000.

"These employers are abusing them. Their families are suffering," Moreno said.

The Walt Disney Co. released the following statement:

"When we learned that cast members in one role under-reported their time, we immediately took measures back in 2010 to correct the situation. They received back wages for the time worked and we provided additional training to deter this from happening again."

WFTV