A Pennsylvania homecare service provider has been made to pay more than $380,000 to settle violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act regarding nonpayment of overtime wages, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced earlier this month.
Investigators with DOL's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) determined Trafford, Penn.-based From the Heart Companion Service LLC neglected to pay overtime wages for hours over 40 worked in a pay week, DOL reported April 14. The company paid a total of $383,183 in back wages and damages to 46 employees of four Pittsburgh-area From the Heart locations, the report states.
“Professional caregivers provide vital support and services to some of the most vulnerable populations," WHD Pittsburgh director John DuMont said in the report. "They must receive all of their rightfully earned wages."
DuMont said the results of the agency's investigations into From the Heart should be a reminder to other employers to ensure their own pay practices follow the law, and to contact WHD with any questions in order to avoid violations and hefty financial penalties, according to the report.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 716,000 healthcare and social-assistance workers left their jobs in December 2021. Employment in the home health and personal care sectors is projected to grow 33% by 2030, BLS reports, resulting in more than a million new jobs being created. DOL states employers in the home healthcare industry will need to be very competitive to attract and keep workers.
“Healthcare workers are in great demand and facing record burnout,” DuMont said in the report. “Healthcare employers whose pay practices comply with the law have a competitive advantage when it comes to attracting and retaining workers.”
