The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a consent judgment against QualiT Healthcare LLC, a home healthcare agency based in Chester, Pennsylvania, and its owner, Teajan Kamara. The judgment follows an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division which found that the company failed to pay overtime wages as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The federal court ruling requires QualiT Healthcare to pay $414,351 in back wages and liquidated damages to 62 workers who were denied their rightful overtime compensation. Additionally, the court imposed a civil money penalty of $5,649 due to the willful nature of these violations.
James Cain, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Philadelphia, emphasized the importance of fair compensation for care workers: "Care workers provide essential services to people in need in our communities and they deserve to be paid all of their earned wages."
Prior to seeking legal action through a consent judgment, QualiT Healthcare had already paid $198,591 in back wages and $9,341 in liquidated damages. The company is now obligated to settle the remaining amount of $212,067 along with civil penalties.
Samantha Thomas, Regional Solicitor in Philadelphia, highlighted the significance of this legal outcome: "The judgment we obtained will put significant amounts of money back in the pockets of hard-working care workers."
The investigation was conducted by the division’s Philadelphia District Office while the complaint was filed by the department’s Office of the Solicitor.
Under FLSA regulations, employees must receive at least federal minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime pay at one-and-a-half times their regular rate for hours exceeding 40 per week.
For more information about compliance or if you believe you may be owed back wages collected by the division, assistance is available via a toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). The helpline offers support in over 200 languages regardless of immigration status. Additionally, a Timesheet App is available for iOS and Android devices.
