The California Labor Commissioner issued citations totaling $7,137,036 to the operator of six adult care facilities in Los Angeles for wage theft and other labor law violations.

Adat Shalom Board & Care, Inc. was ordered to pay underpaid wages and penalties to 149 former and current employees who provided care to elderly residents 24 hours a day, six days a week. For years, officials say the caregivers were paid less than $3 an hour for their work.

The Labor Commissioner’s Office opened its investigation last June after receiving a report of labor law violations. The investigation uncovered that from July 2014 to July 2017, the caregivers at the six facilities in West Hills were:

– Paid less than the minimum wage for each hour they worked.
– Not paid overtime for working 24-hour shifts, six days a week.
– Not relieved from their duties to take meal or rest breaks.
– Provided pay stubs that withheld key information such as hourly rate of pay and total number of hours worked.

The live-in caregivers were responsible for monitoring and caring for elderly residents and hospice patients, many of them suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia. The caregivers were paid fixed amounts ranging from $1,500 to $1,800 per month, or $2.40 to $2.88 per hour.

The citations issued against Adat Shalom Board & Care include $2,272,343 for under payment of minimum wages, $1,871,990 in overtime wages, $128,196 for meal period violations, and $2,689,907 in liquidated damages.

When workers are paid less than minimum wage, they are entitled to liquidated damages that equal the amount of underpaid minimum wages plus interest.

In addition to the money for the workers, $174,600 in civil penalties were levied for nonpayment of overtime and minimum wages, meal period violations as well as for failing to provide workers accurate itemized wage statements with their paychecks. The civil penalties collected will be transferred to the State’s General Fund, as required by law.