- Two Pennsylvania nursing facilities were found to have denied proper overtime pay to 231 workers.
- A judge ordered the companies to repay the nurses $513,368 including liquidated damages.
Two Pennsylvania nursing facilities were found to have denied proper overtime pay to hundreds of workers.
A judge ordered two companies to pay 231 nurses $256,684 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, equating to $513,368, per the Department of Labor. According to Insider's calculations, each nurse will receive about $2,222.
The order follows an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division that revealed Spring Creek, which operates Spring Creek Rehab and Nursing Center in Harrisburg, and Franklin Center OPCO LLC, the operator of Laurel Lakes Rehab and Wellness Center in Chambersburg, engaged in pay practices that violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The investigation found that nursing facilities paid non-discretionary bonuses to nursing staff but failed to include incentives in their pay rate when calculating overtime rates.
The employers paid dividends for working particular shifts, picking up extra shifts, and providing additional support during the pandemic. The report also revealed that the employers failed to maintain proper records of hours worked.
Spring Creek and Franklin Center didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider.