Dear unfair,
Thank you for your question and I look forward to assisting you. Please keep in mind that I can only respond to your post and the information contained in it, as I do not know what you know unless you describe it fully. Also, due to site tech reasons, oftentimes I am initially only able to see the first part of your post, so I apologize in advance if it means more interactions between us. Also, oftentimes there are future facts that are as yet undetermined in your matter, that can and must leave some areas of information provided by me broad in nature. However, don't hesitate to ask for clarification if needed! At times, there can also be a delay of an hour or more in between my answers because I may be helping other customers or taking a break. That being said...
First, you need to determine the rationale behind the labor dept's determination that you illegal deprived each and every employee of overtime for the last six years. Do they have the calculations to back it up? Are their calculations correct? Where do they get their information.
Was your workday an 8 hour workday, lunch not included? How did you define your pay scale to the labor department? Did your $100/day meet the minimum wage law in your state? Did you keep records of when workers started and when they ended and which days they worked and which days they didn't? The more documentary evidence you have (which is created in your own company) backing up the legality of your pay, the more likely it is you can fight this assessment. Of course, since it will put you out of business, you really need to do so. Your questions doesn't go there, but I assuming you paid withholding taxes, and so proof of waht you paid them in wages can't be disputed and is clear, yes? (If you didn't, you would have to establish that they were independant contractors, which largely depends on you having little to no control over how they accomplish the goals of their respective jobs, amongst other things.) At $100/day, I can not understand where overtime would be owed unless you had them working til midnight, which I doubt in yoru line of buisness. Minimum wage provides many hours a day to reach $100.
Bottom line, get your documentary proofs together: proof of pay will be king, as it will show that they received the guaranteed minimum wage for basic unskilled labor, plus some. (Also, if you can show tha tthe amount you paid them amounted to at least the "going rate" in your area and in your industry, that will also help.
Let me know if you need any clarification here.
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Lawyer
15+ Years of Legal Practice and Consulting Experiencein Employment Law throughout the U.S.