Wyncote Home Healthcare Agency to Pay $810K in Back Wages for Overtime Violations
TL/DR –
The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Wyncote Wellness LLC, a home healthcare agency, and its owner Dominique Conner, to pay 196 employees $810,320 in back wages and damages for not properly paying overtime and violating federal law. An investigation found that Wyncote Wellness frequently breached the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by not combining hours worked in a week to calculate overtime rates, not paying for travel time between clients, and not preserving records of hours worked. In addition to the back wages and damages, Wyncote Wellness will have to pay a civil money penalty due to the deliberate nature of the violations.
US Labor Department Obtains Back Pay for 196 Home Healthcare Workers in Wyncote, PA
The US Department of Labor has secured a consent judgment against a Wyncote home healthcare agency, Wyncote Wellness LLC, and its owner, Dominique Conner. The judgement mandates that the agency and Conner pay $810,320 in back wages and liquidated damages for not paying overtime rates to 196 direct care employees, a violation of federal law.
Following an investigation by the Department’s Wage and Hour Division, the consent judgment was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The investigation uncovered that Wyncote Wellness routinely breached the minimum wage and overtime regulations outlined in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Wyncote Wellness was found to regularly underpay employees by not considering total weekly hours when calculating overtime rates. The employers additionally failed to compensate for travel time between clients and did not preserve accurate records of hours worked. The investigation also revealed that employees often worked more hours than they were compensated for.
James Cain, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Philadelphia, highlighted the importance of these workers, stating, “Home healthcare workers provide vital services to the most vulnerable members of our communities, and their work deserves respect and fair compensation.” The ruling aims to ensure workers’ rights to total earnings and serve as a reminder to employers about their obligations under the law.
The consent judgment also requires Wyncote Wellness to pay a civil money penalty due to the willful nature of the violations. Samantha Thomas, Regional Solicitor in Philadelphia, underlined the Department’s commitment to holding employers accountable to the law, stating, “Our efforts resulted in securing the consent judgment and recovering hard-earned wages for the home health workers.”
The Department’s Office of the Solicitor in Philadelphia filed the complaint and consent judgment. The FLSA necessitates that most US employees receive at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay at no less than time and a half their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
For more information about the Wage and Hour Division, or to use a search tool to see if you may be owed back wages, visit the division’s website. The division offers confidential assistance through their toll-free helpline 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), accessible in over 200 languages. Download the free Timesheet App for iOS and Android to ensure hours and pay accuracy.
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