Sc Dept. of Corrections v. Cartrette

694 S.E.2d 25, 387 S.C. 652
Court of Appeals of South Carolina·Decided May 28, 2010·No. 4671·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

387 S.C. 652 (2010)
694 S.E.2d 25

SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Respondent,
v.
George Lee TOMLIN, Appellant.

No. 4671.

Court of Appeals of South Carolina.

Submitted March 1, 2010.
Decided April 5, 2010.
Withdrawn, Substituted and Refiled May 28, 2010.
Rehearing Denied May 28, 2010.

*653 George Tomlin, pro se, for Appellant.

Lake E. Summers, of Columbia, for Respondent.

CURETON, A.J.

George Lee Tomlin filed a grievance with the South Carolina Department of Corrections concerning conditions of his participation in the Prison Industries Program (PIP). Tomlin *654 appeals the circuit court's order remanding his case to the Administrative Law Court (ALC) for a determination of the prevailing wage for similar work, reversing the ALC's finding that Tomlin was an employee of the private sponsor, affirming the ALC's denial of overtime wages, and affirming the ALC's denial of reimbursement for certain pay deductions.[1] We reverse as to overtime wages, remand that issue to the ALC for further proceedings as outlined in this opinion, and affirm the circuit court's decisions on all remaining issues.[2]

After we issued our original opinion affirming in part and reversing in part, both parties petitioned for rehearing. We deny Tomlin's petition for rehearing, grant the Department's petition for rehearing, withdraw our previous opinion, and substitute this opinion.

FACTS

Tomlin was an inmate of the Ridgeland Correctional Institution. As a participant in PIP, Tomlin provided on-site labor at the Ridgeland Correctional Institution, sometimes working in excess of eighty hours per two-week period, for PIP sponsor Kwalu Furniture. Tomlin was compensated at a rate of $5.25 per hour. Tomlin filed a grievance with the Department complaining his hourly wage was insufficient compared to the prevailing wage for similar work performed in the private sector. He asserted non-inmate employees earned $11.00 to $14.00 per hour for the same work. Tomlin further complained he did not receive additional pay for overtime hours and the Department improperly withheld funds from his paychecks. Specifically, Tomlin challenged as unconstitutional the withholding of funds for his room and board and additional funds for Victim's Assistance.[3]

*655 The Department denied Tomlin's grievance, and Tomlin appealed to the ALC. The ALC reversed the Department's refusal to pay Tomlin the prevailing wage and found the prevailing wage was $5.25.[4] Furthermore, the ALC affirmed the Department's denials of overtime and reimbursement for wage deductions.

Both Tomlin and the Department then appealed to the circuit court. After a hearing, the circuit court found $5.25 was not the prevailing wage and remanded that issue to the ALC with seven questions for the ALC to consider in determining the correct prevailing wage. The circuit court reversed the ALC's apparent finding that Tomlin "worked for . . . or was otherwise ever an employee of Kwalu." Finally, the circuit court affirmed the ALC's determinations Tomlin was ineligible for overtime or reimbursement of wage deductions for room and board and for Victims Assistance. Tomlin now appeals.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

The ALC has subject matter jurisdiction under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) to hear properly perfected appeals from the Department's final orders in administrative or non-collateral matters. Slezak v. S.C. Dep't of Corr., 361 S.C. 327, 331, 605 S.E.2d 506, 507 (2004). Our standard of review derives from the APA. Al-Shabazz v. State, 338 S.C. 354, 379, 527 S.E.2d 742, 755 (2000). We may affirm, remand, reverse, or modify the appealed decision if the appellant's substantive rights have suffered prejudice because the decision is:

(a) in violation of constitutional or statutory provisions;
(b) in excess of the statutory authority of the agency;
(c) made upon unlawful procedure;
(d) affected by other error of law;
*656 (e) clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative, and substantial evidence on the whole record; or
(f) arbitrary or capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion.

S.C.Code Ann. § 1-23-610(B) (Supp.2009).

LAW/ANALYSIS

I. Overtime Pay

Tomlin contends he is entitled to time-and-a-half pay for overtime worked. We agree.

In South Carolina, a non-inmate employee's right of action for overtime pay lies in § 207(a)(1) of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA), 29 U.S.C.A. §§ 201-219 (1998 & Supp.2009). Under the FLSA, non-inmate workers receive compensation at a rate of one and one-half times their hourly rate for hours worked in excess of forty per week. 29 U.S.C.A. § 207(a)(2) (1998). This court recently examined the legislative intent underlying the FLSA and found:

The purpose of the FLSA is to protect "the rights of those who toil, of those who sacrifice a full measure of their freedom and talents to the use and profit of others." Tennessee Coal, Iron & R.R. Co. v. Muscoda Local No. 123, 321 U.S. 590, 597, 64 S.Ct. 698, 88 L.Ed. 949 (1944). The FLSA was enacted in response to a congressional finding that some industries, engaged in commerce, maintained labor conditions which were detrimental to a minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency, and the general well-being of workers. See 29 U.S.C. § 202(a) (1998). The Act attempts to eliminate unfair labor practices without substantially curtailing employment or earning power. 29 U.S.C. § 202(b). Because the FLSA is remedial and humanitarian in purpose, it should be broadly interpreted and applied to effectuate its goals. Tennessee Coal, Iron & R.R. Co., 321 U.S. at 597, 64 S.Ct. 698; Benshoff v. City of Virginia Beach, 180 F.3d 136 (4th Cir.1999).

Miller v. Blumenthal Mills, Inc., 365 S.C. 204, 221, 616 S.E.2d 722, 730 (Ct.App.2005).

Our supreme court has held the FLSA does not extend to inmate workers because, for purposes of payment of wages, *657 inmate workers are not employees of PIP sponsors. Williams v. S.C. Dep't of Corr., 372 S.C. 255, 260, 641 S.E.2d 885, 888 (2007). Other courts, including the Federal Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, have also declined to extend the protections of the FLSA and state labor statutes to inmates. See, e.g., Harker v. State Use Indus., 990 F.2d 131, 135 (4th Cir.1993).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Sc Dept. of Corrections v. Cartrette, 694 S.E.2d 25, 387 S.C. 652 (S.C. Ct. App. 2010).

694 S.E.2d 25 (Sc Dept. of Corrections v. Cartrette) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Tomlin v. SCDC
Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2018
Allison v. W.L. Gore & Associates
714 S.E.2d 547 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 2011)
Sc Dept. of Corrections v. Cartrette
694 S.E.2d 18 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2010)
South Carolina Department of Corrections v. Cartrette
694 S.E.2d 18 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 2010)