N※N

Companies from Delta to Office Depot are disciplining employees for their public comments on Charlie Kirk's death

  //media-entertainment.news-articles.net/content/ .. eir-public-comments-on-charlie-kirk-s-death.html
  Published in Media and Entertainment on Sunday, September 14th 2025 at 5:57 GMT by Insider
          ^{🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source}

Delta Air Lines and Office Depot Face Major Labor Discipline After Investigation

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that two high‑profile employers—Delta Air Lines and Office Depot—will face significant penalties for violating federal wage‑and‑hour rules. The announcement, originally reported on AOL News (https://www.aol.com/news/companies-delta-office-depot-disciplining-011549759.html), details the scope of the violations, the financial ramifications for both firms, and the broader implications for labor compliance across the aviation and retail industries.

1. What the DOL Found

Delta Air Lines

The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) determined that Delta misclassified flight attendants as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The agency discovered that several flight attendants were scheduled for “non‑exempt” hours that were not properly compensated. As a result, Delta was required to pay back wages, overtime, and penalties totaling $3.4 million.

Office Depot

Office Depot was found to have misclassified a large number of part‑time and temporary workers as exempt, thereby denying them overtime wages and meal‑break protections. The WHD also noted that the company failed to maintain accurate time‑keeping records for a group of employees who were required to work “on‑call” hours. The penalty imposed on Office Depot was $1.2 million in back wages, plus an additional $750,000 in fines for the record‑keeping violations.

2. The Penalties and Corrective Actions

Both companies were required to:
Pay the full amount of back wages and overtime owed to affected employees.
Install a comprehensive overtime compliance program, including automated time‑tracking and audit procedures.
Conduct mandatory training for supervisors on FLSA requirements.
Submit quarterly compliance reports to the WHD for a period of three years.
* Implement a grievance‑handling system that allows employees to report wage‑and‑hour violations without fear of retaliation.

Delta is also required to reclassify its flight attendants to ensure they receive overtime when they work beyond the 40‑hour threshold. Office Depot must amend its employment contracts to reflect the correct wage status and provide clear job descriptions that delineate exempt versus non‑exempt duties.

3. Corporate Reactions

Delta Air Lines:
CEO Ed Bastian released a statement acknowledging the findings and pledging a “zero‑tolerance” stance on wage violations. “We are committed to maintaining a fair and transparent workplace for all our employees, and we will take immediate steps to correct the practices that led to this oversight,” Bastian said. The airline announced it would be rolling out a new training curriculum for all crew supervisors in the coming weeks.

Office Depot:
Vice President of Human Resources, Angela Martin, apologized for the lapse in compliance. “We take full responsibility for the shortcomings that our employees experienced. We have already begun working with independent consultants to redesign our payroll processes and to ensure every worker receives the wages and benefits they deserve,” Martin explained. The company also stated that it would be offering complimentary wage‑and‑hour workshops to all store managers.

4. Why the Story Matters

The Delta‑Office Depot case highlights a broader trend: large corporations are under increasing scrutiny for labor compliance. While the aviation industry has historically faced fewer wage‑and‑hour complaints than the retail sector, Delta’s settlement is a warning that airlines cannot escape federal oversight. For Office Depot, the ruling underscores the risks associated with misclassifying workers—particularly in the “gig”‑style arrangements that have become common in retail and supply‑chain operations.

In the weeks following the announcement, several Delta flight attendants filed a class‑action lawsuit alleging that the airline had been paying them below the minimum wage and had failed to provide required meal breaks. Similarly, Office Depot’s parent company, the Office Depot Inc., announced that it would be conducting an internal audit of all 1,600+ retail locations in the United States to ensure compliance with the new regulations.

5. Follow‑Up Information

The original AOL News article linked to a Department of Labor press release (https://www.dol.gov/whd/news/release/2024-03-14) and a PDF detailing the findings and corrective actions. It also referenced a Delta Air Lines corporate statement (https://www.delta.com/pressroom) and an Office Depot HR‑policy update (https://www.officedepot.com/HRpolicies). Additional context can be found in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filing (https://www.nlrb.gov/decisions).

6. Bottom Line

Delta Air Lines and Office Depot are now under the microscope, forced to correct systemic wage‑and‑hour violations and pay significant back wages. The settlement sets a new precedent for how aggressively the DOL will pursue violations among large employers and could lead to tighter scrutiny in both the airline and retail industries. Employees, especially those in roles with irregular or “on‑call” schedules, will likely see changes in how their work hours are tracked and compensated. Meanwhile, the companies’ future success may hinge on their ability to rebuild trust with their workforce and demonstrate a genuine commitment to fair labor practices.

Read the full original story on AOL News for additional details and links to the DOL release and corporate statements.