Jul. 28—A federal judge has ruled that a West Reading personal care home violated labor laws and must pay 20 employees more than $162,250 in back wages and damages.
The consent judgment against Morris Pace Assisted Living Inc. — which operates as Morris Pace Personal Care Home in the 400 block of Reading Avenue — was signed by U.S. District Judge John M. Gallagher on July 7.
Officials from Morris Pace were not immediately available for comment.
The case was brought to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by the U.S. Department of Labor following an investigation by the department's Wage and Hour Division.
That investigation found that the personal care home pay improperly reduced five employees' salaries, making invalid deductions for rent while the employees were living in apartments connected to the facility. The salary reductions brought the employees' pay below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
The investigation also found that Morris Pace did not properly pay overtime for 20 workers.
The personal care home was ordered to pay $81,125 in back wages and $81,125 in damages.
"Morris-Pace Assisted Living's failure to pay some workers minimum wage and their denial to pay others overtime pay for their hard work made it more difficult for those care workers to care for their needs and those of their families," Alfonso Gristina, Wage and Hour Division district director, said in a statement Friday. "The outcome of this investigation shows that employers who violate workers' rights to be paid fully, often face costly consequences."