News Brief
US Department of Labor recovers $190K in back wages, damages for 4 employees denied minimum wage, overtime by Lansing group homes operator
Employers: Medhealth Suppliers & Providers Inc, operating as Evergreen Place, Evergreen Place 2
and Bedford Home, Lansing, Michigan
Roseline Rowan, owner
Action: Consent order and judgement
Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division
Court action: On May 3, 2024, U.S. District judge Jane M. Beckering ordered Roseline Rowan, owner of Medhealth Suppliers & Providers Inc., to pay $190,648 — $95,324 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to four employees after an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division found the employer violated the Fair Labor Standard Act’s minimum wage, overtime and recordkeeping provisions.
Investigators found Medhealth paid salaries to non-exempt employees that did not meet the minimum wage and overtime requirements for all hours worked. The company’s employees were live-in caregivers, providing nearly round-the-clock care for residents at the three group homes in Lansing.
Quote: “The caregivers provide their clients with round-the-clock care and deserve the wages they rightfully earned for their hard work and dedication,” said Wage and Hour District Director Mary O’Rourke in Grand Rapids. “Employers are legally responsible for knowing and complying with federal wage laws.”
Background: In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $31.8 million in back wages for workers in the healthcare industry nationwide and $654,035 for workers in Michigan.
Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division and how to file an online complaint. For confidential compliance assistance, employees and employers can call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), regardless of where they are from.
Download the agency’s new Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices – also available in Spanish –to ensure hours and pay are accurate.
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