ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A Florida–nursing home company recently agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor to resolve claims that the business failed to pay elder care workers for all their hours worked while assisting with resident evacuations during Hurricane Irma. As part of the settlement, St. Petersburg-based Palm Shores Retirement Community Inc. will pay $181,663 in back wages, interest, and penalties to 454 workers for violating federal labor and wage laws.
According to an investigation by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, Palm Shores Retirement Community failed to pay its workers premium overtime wages when the employees worked 24-hour shifts without sleep or extra pay during Hurricane Irma. Other violations occurred at all of the company’s 19 locations where investigators determined Palm Shores Retirement Community failed to properly calculate overtime rates by including bonuses from marketing and other activities.
Furthermore, the company failed to count hours that workers spent traveling from one location to another as part of their income, which resulted in some underpayments of overtime pay. State and federal labor laws make it clear that workers must be paid for all their job-related activities, including work-related travel.
“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.”
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which sets national standards for minimum wage and overtime pay, employers must pay workers one and a half times their average hourly rate of pay, including all bonuses, commissions, and other income. When businesses fail to pay employees properly, the law gives workers the right to retain an attorney and file an unpaid overtime lawsuit to recover back pay and damages if necessary.
Nursing Home Worker Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit
Call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page if you feel that your wage rights are being violated under the FLSA. Our top-rated team of unpaid wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action to help you seek justice.
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