US Department of Labor recovers $317K in unpaid wages, damages from Southern California home care provider that denied overtime

WHITTIER, CA – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $158,868 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages from a Southern California residential care provider that refused to pay overtime to 45 workers, some of whom worked up to 70 hours per week.

An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found PALS LLC – a residential care provider for individuals with special needs and developmental disabilities – purposely failed to pay caregivers overtime rates when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek. Investigators discovered some employees worked between 50 and 70 hours per week. Investigators also found the employer, which has locations in Indio and Whittier, failed to keep records of hours worked and rates of pay for each employee.

In addition to the recovery of the unpaid wages and liquidated damages, the division assessed the employer $10,829 in civil money penalties because of the willful nature of the violations.

“We urge all employers in this industry to review their pay practices and respect workers’ right to be paid all of their hard-earned wages,” said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Gayane Aleksanian in West Covina, California. “The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to protecting care workers and will use all available enforcement tools to hold employers accountable for compliance.” 

Established in 1998, PALS provides adults with developmental disabilities with assistance to live at home independently. Its locations in Indio and Whittier, PALS serves clients of the Regional Center who reside in Los Angeles County and Riverside County. 

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 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. The division can speak with callers in more than 200 languages.

Download the agency’s new Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices – available in English and Spanish – to ensure hours and pay are accurate.