US Department of Labor recovers $152k in back wages for Bronx medical employees denied overtime pay

A consent judgment has been secured by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to recover $152,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for unpaid overtime, as per News Release by the department.

The accused entity is Bronx Urgent Care, a Bronx medical care provider that consistently failed to pay nine employees overtime for hours worked over 40 in a week, causing a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The FLSA violation occurred as the employer wrongly categorized the affected workers as exempt from overtime pay requirements and paid them their regular hourly rates for all hours worked, instead of the required overtime wages at time and a half (1.5x).

“Exempt” status in the US is a classification for certain employees who are not covered by the minimum wage and overtime pay requirements of the FLSA. 

This means that exempt employees are not entitled to receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

To be classified as exempt, employees typically need to meet specific criteria related to their job duties and salary. 

The $152,000 amount is to be paid by Bronx Urgent Care to the affected employees, comprising $76,000 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, as per the order of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York made on May 10, 2024.

The court also upheld $8,000 in civil money penalties imposed by the department due to the deliberate nature of the violations.

Beyond recovering wages and damages, the court order prohibits Bronx Urgent Care from any future FLSA violations.

Case Details:

• The investigation was carried out by the Wage and Hour Division’s New York City District Office.
• The investigation led to the judgment that Bronx Urgent Care, along with owner Basil Bruno and operations manager Samuel Singer had violated the FLSA.
• The case was litigated by the department’s Office of the Solicitor in New York, resulting in the negotiated settlement.

Violations of the FLSA:

• Employers who disregard federal labor laws, including those related to unpaid overtime, often face consequences that exceed the original wages they should have paid.
• Legal measures, including recovering back wages, seeking damages, and imposing penalties, are used by the DOL to hold employers accountable for violating the law.