State Contractor Faces Suit Over Allegedly Denying Overtime Back Wages

A lawsuit has been filed against a contractor in Pennsylvania alleging the company denied payment of overtime back wages to employees.

Plaintiff Ralph T. has filed this lawsuit against a Pennsylvania state contractor that provides Medicaid-funded direct care to the elderly. He claims the company has allegedly denied workers time-and-a half pay and overtime back wages for their services in which they worked more than 40 hours per week.

Thousands of home care workers have allegedly been denied their overtime back wages.

The overtime lawsuit is filed against Public Partnerships LLC., which is a subsidiary of Public Consulting Group, a business management company headquartered in Boston. They failed to immediately respond to additional questions and requests for comment on Friday.

According to the overtime back wages lawsuit, “every day, tens of thousands of workers in Pennsylvania call upon their compassion and dedication to tend to some of our society’s most vulnerable members,” the attorney and lead counsel on the case stated.

The attorney continues to contend that, “yet, despite the critical role they play, their employer has continued to deny them the fair compensation promised to them by law. We look forward to pursuing justice for these incredible men and women and defending the value of their vital contributions to our community,” she contends.

According to the lawsuit, Public Partnerships LLC. is in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act for denying these workers and failing to pay them overtime wages.

Ralph alleges that he had been working for the company since January 2013. The overtime lawsuit explains that PPL contracts with Pennsylvania state’s Long Term Living Programs and the Office of Developmental programs to, “provide Medicaid-funded ‘direct-care’ services, including companionship, personal care and domestic assistance.”

The company employees approximately 10,000 workers in the state of Pennsylvania.

Ralph alleges that since the time that he had worked and through January 2016, he had only been paid “straight time” for the hours that he had worked and not the time-and-a half required by law. He alleges that the company did pay him overtime back wages from November 2015 but that he had not been paid for his services from the middle of the month.

Moreover, the defendant had changed its policy and even after that it only pays time-and-a half to workers who offer their services to one client alone. He alleges that “he routinely works 60 hours for one client and six hours for another client, but does not get paid overtime for the work for the second client,” the lawsuit contends. He states that “he is denied any payment for time spend travelling from one client to another.”

Ralph argues that he takes pride in the work that he does. He states that “… the commitment I have for those I serve is deep and unwavering.” He goes on to argue however that, it is unfair that employees are being denied compensation and overtime back wages and that it is a fundamental injustice. He states that, “Like my PPL colleagues throughout Pennsylvania, my job helps for food on the dinner table at night, so the action of PPL have very real consequences for our families and loved ones.”

The Overtime Back Wages Lawsuit is Case No. 5:17-cv-02165, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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