U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in $181,663 In Back Wages for Elder Care Workers in Florida

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – After an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, Palm Shores Retirement Community Inc. will pay $181,663 in back wages to 454 employees for violating the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Investigators found that the company’s St. Petersburg location failed to pay the required overtime premium to employees who were involved in the evacuation and subsequent care of residents during and immediately after Hurricane Irma. The employer failed to pay these workers for all of their hours when they worked 24-hour shifts without sleep.

Investigators further identified overtime violations that occurred in all 19 of the employer’s Florida locations.  Specifically, the employer failed to include some bonus payments made to marketing and activities employees when calculating overtime pay rates, resulting in rates being lower than what the law requires.  Additionally, the employer’s exclusion of travel time from some workers’ hours created additional overtime violations.

“The Wage and Hour Division is committed to ensuring that employees receive the wages they have earned for all the hours they have worked,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director James Schmidt. “Resolutions like the one in this case demonstrate the Department of Labor’s commitment to workers as well as its determination to leveling the playing field for law-abiding employers.”

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at http://www.dol.gov/whd.