A Virginia home healthcare provider is under a preliminary injunction to stop obstructing an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor, retaliating against workers cooperating with the investigation or demanding kickbacks of back wages.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the preliminary injunction against Heavenly Hands Home Healthcare LLC, of Chesapeake, Va., in the investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, according to a news release.
“Workers must feel empowered to step forward to complain whenever employers deny them wages they have earned – the law prohibits retaliation or intimidation for speaking up,” Roberto Melendez, Wage and Hour District director in Richmond, Va., said, in the release.
The court order also mandates Heavenly Hands notify all employees of their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act, including their right to speak to investigators without fear of retaliation and provide payroll records, including time and attendance records from July 10, 2018, to the present, to the department. The employer is prohibited from inquiring about whether current or former workers met with departmental official, the release reported.
