A federal court has mandated a home healthcare agency in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, to pay $810,320 in back wages and damages to 196 workers. The U.S. Department of Labor obtained the consent judgment against Wyncote Wellness LLC and its owner, Dominique Conner. This action follows an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, which found that the agency regularly violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) concerning minimum wage and overtime provisions.

The investigation revealed that Wyncote Wellness failed to properly calculate overtime rates for employees working with multiple clients. Instead of combining hours worked across all clients in a week to determine overtime eligibility, the company paid overtime only after employees exceeded 40 hours with each individual client. Additionally, some employees recorded more hours than they were compensated for, including travel time between clients. The employer also did not maintain records of hours worked or travel time when employees served multiple clients in one day.

“Home healthcare workers provide vital services to the most vulnerable members of our communities, and their work deserves respect and fair compensation,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director James Cain in Philadelphia. “This enforcement action will help to ensure workers are paid their total earnings and remind other employers of their obligations under the law.”

Beyond back wages and liquidated damages, Wyncote Wellness is required by the judgment to pay a civil money penalty due to the willful nature of these violations.

“Our efforts resulted in securing the consent judgment and recovering hard-earned wages for the home health workers. This case demonstrates the U.S. Department of Labor’s commitment to pursuing litigation when employers fail to comply with the law,” stated Regional Solicitor Samantha Thomas in Philadelphia.

The FLSA mandates that most U.S. employees receive at least federal minimum wage for all hours worked as well as overtime pay at no less than one-and-a-half times their regular rate for hours exceeding 40 per week.

For more information about compliance with labor laws or if you suspect you may be owed back wages collected by the division, assistance is available through confidential support from the Wage and Hour Division by calling 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The division provides services in over 200 languages without regard to immigration status.