Florida company got free labor by shorting healthcare workers $93,000 in pay, feds say
The Pensacola-based operator of two 24-hour care facilities owed employees $93,932 in back pay, the U.S. Department of Labor announced after an investigation.
That money went to seven people employed by the Chris Lewis Agency, $13,418.85 per worker.
The Miami Herald called the Chris Lewis Agency, listed in some places as an insurance agency, three times. No one picked up the phone.
According to a Wage and Hour investigation, Labor’s announcement said, “Employees working 16-hour days were paid for only 12 or 13 hours.”
That’s a basic Fair Labor Standards Act violation.
“When employers fail to meet their obligations to pay essential workers all the wages they have earned, it hits our lowest wage-earners the hardest, significantly impacting their ability to earn a living,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Wildalí De Jesús said. “Other employers in this industry should use the outcome of this investigation as an opportunity to review their own pay practices, ensure they comply with the law, and avoid violations like those found in this case.”
The Wage and Hour complaint section of the Department of Labor website contains information on how to file a complaint. Miami’s Wage and Hour Division office can be reached at 305-598-6607.
