News Brief
US Department of Labor recovers $47K in back wages, damages for workers shortchanged overtime pay by Beaver County home healthcare agency
Employer: 5 Caring Hearts LLC
Investigation site: 2110 McLean St., Suite 3
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Investigation findings: Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that the home healthcare agency failed to pay some workers overtime rates for hours over 40 in a workweek. Instead, the employer paid straight time for overtime to direct care workers when they worked for more than one client in a week or when they worked on-call, actions that violate the Fair Labor Standards Act. 5 Caring Hearts also failed to keep proper records of overtime hours worked.
Back wages/damages recovered: $23,688.43 in back wages,
$23,688.43 in liquidated damages for three workers.
Quote: “Employers who fail to pay workers their rightful wages make it more difficult for their workers to provide for themselves and their families,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh. “We encourage employers and employees to contact the Wage and Hour Division with any questions or concerns regarding pay practices.”
Background: For more information about the FLSA and other laws the division enforces, contact its toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division. Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions or concerns – regardless of where they are from – and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. Help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android and iOS Timesheet App for free.
