Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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NEW YORK, NY -- Helen Hayes Hospital, West Haverstraw, N.Y., has paid 105 employees a total of $100,220.88 in overtime back wages as the result of an investigation by the U.S. Labor Department into violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division found that registered nurses who worked for the nursing home were not being paid properly for overtime hours when they worked over 40 hours in a single work week.

The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the applicable minimum wage and time and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 per week. It also requires employers to keep accurate records of employees’ wages, hours and other conditions of employment.

“Our investigation showed,” said Sonia Rybak, assistant district director for the Wage and Hour Division in White Plains, “that RNs routinely put in additional work time both before and after their scheduled shifts. The employer also routinely deducted a half hour per shift for meal breaks that often were not taken or were interrupted. It is incumbent upon employers to adhere to the requirements of the FLSA so that employees can count on being paid properly for all the hours they work in any given work week.”

Following extensive negotiations with Helen Hayes Hospital, the employer agreed to pay employees the back wages due and to come into full compliance with the requirements of the FLSA in the future.

The investigation was conducted by the White Plains Area Office of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, which can be reached at 914-682-6348. Information on the requirements of the FLSA also may be obtained by calling the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243) or through the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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