A federal consent judgment has been secured by the Department of Labor, mandating a Greenville cleaning and janitorial service, along with its owner, to pay over $127,000 in back wages, liquidated damages and compensatory damages. This follows a court's ruling that the company and its owner illegally terminated workers for asserting their rights to federally-mandated sick leave.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi entered a consent judgment on March 4, 2024. It found that Jesse’s Cleaning Service LLC had unlawfully dismissed employees after they claimed their right to be paid under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The court ruled that Jesse’s Cleaning Service and Jesse Taliaferro owed $110,952 in back wages and liquidated damages, along with $16,749 in compensatory damages.
Besides ordering payment of these monetary damages, the consent judgment prevents the defendants from violating the FLSA in future. It also prohibits them from terminating or threatening to terminate employees or retaliating against workers seeking to exercise their rights under the FLSA.
Regional Solicitor Tremelle Howard in Atlanta commented on this case: “These workers were trying to protect themselves and their coworkers in the face of a newly identified virus.” He added that federal law ensures workers do not have to choose between their job and health. It also allows them to take medical leave under certain provisions to care for themselves or their families without fear of employer retaliation.
Howard further stated: “Access to wages and federally mandated pay is a right not a luxury.” He emphasized that businesses must respect the law regardless of size. The actions taken by this employer were deemed "unconscionable".
Jesse’s Cleaning Service LLC is owned and operated by Jesse Taliaferro. The company provides janitorial services to clients in Greenville and Indianola.
The Wage and Hour Division offers confidential compliance assistance to anyone with questions about the FLSA and other federal labor laws. Workers and employers can reach out to the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The department is equipped to communicate with callers in over 200 languages.
