U.S. Department of Labor Recovers $53,018 for Tampa Nursing Facility Employees after Investigation Reveals Overtime Violations

TAMPA, FL – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Gandy SNF LLC – a nursing facility based in Tampa, Florida – has paid $53,018 in back wages to 105 employees for violating the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

WHD investigators that found Gandy SNF LLC – operating as Gandy Crossing Care Center – automatically deducted time from employees’ hours for meal breaks regardless of whether workers actually took those breaks. This practice resulted in violations when employees worked through their breaks, and went unpaid for that time.  

“Employers have an obligation to pay their employees for all the hours that they work,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director James Schmidt, in Tampa, Florida. “Other employers who automatically deduct time for meal breaks should use this investigation as an opportunity to evaluate their practices to make sure they are capturing all their employees’ hours and not committing the same violation that we found in this case. The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that businesses that violate labor laws do not gain an unfair advantage over those that play by the rules.”

The Department offers numerous resources to ensure employers have the tools they need to understand their responsibilities and to comply with federal law, such as online videos, confidential calls, or in-person visits to local WHD offices.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. Information is also available at https://www.dol.gov/whd.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation's workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.