The U.S. Labor Department has slapped a Buena Park operator of 18 adult residential care facilities in Orange County for wage, overtime and record-keeping violations.
An investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that Elizabeth Homes Adult Residential Care, which is owned by Elizabeth G. Santos Inc. and headquartered at 7161 Stanton Ave., Buena Park, ran afoul of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), according to officials.
Elizabeth Homes, which houses developmentally disabled adults ages 18 to 59, failed to pay employees time-and-a-half for overtime as well as for all hours worked during normal shifts, the division found.
Under a three-month installment plan, Elizabeth Homes will pay 138 workers $113,652 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, according to the government agency, which adds the operator also agreed to comply with the FLSA in the future.
“Many employers in the residential home care field continue to fail to properly compensate workers for their long, hard work in this crucial but challenging field,” says Rodolfo Cortez, director of the Wage and Hour Division’s San Diego District Office, in a statement. “Better cared-for workers results in better cared-for patients.”
The Wage and Hour Division has a toll-free helpline at (866) 487-9243 (4US-WAGE), and more information can be found at dol.gov/whd.
