The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against two Sacramento-based firms
the department says violated the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards
Act, seeking $3.1 million in unpaid wages, damages, and interest for 31 employees.
The workers provided around-the-clock care to adults with severe mental disabilities
at six Sacramento-area facilities managed by Jasmine Hall Care Homes Inc. and
Hall Care Homes Inc.
The department filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of California against the two companies and George K. and Estela Hall, who operated
the care facilities. In addition to $1.57 million in back wages for work performed
between June 1, 2002 and June 1, 2005, the suit seeks damages and interest,
for a total of $3,151,089.
The suit alleges that workers typically lived in the care homes with the patients
at least five days per week, working 24 hours a day and approximately 120 hours
a work week.
Although the workers were salaried, they were not exempt from federal minimum
wage and overtime laws, according to the department. Federal investigators say
that when they computed total salary for all hours worked, employee pay dropped
to somewhere between $2 and $4 per hour, well below the federal minimum wage
of $5.15 an hour.
Read more information about the overtime
exemptions of the FLSA at Compensation.BLR.com
