Haslett assisted living center ordered to pay $15K in back wages, damages

MERIDIAN TWP. - A Haslett assisted living facility has been ordered to pay more than $15,000 in back wages and damages to six employees after failing to pay healthcare workers in accordance with federal overtime laws.

Safe Haven Assisted Living LLC didn’t pay workers when their responsibilities carried over into meal breaks or standard breaks, according to an investigation from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.

The judgment comes after a review from the department which found that the facility and Tamesha Porter, owner of Safe Haven, violated overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act through these practices.

An employee of Safe Haven who answered the phone at the facility Wednesday declined to give their name or comment. Porter did not immediately respond to an email.

The company will also pay a civil penalty of $3,618.

The department found that Safe Haven began the practice in August 2020, shortly after Porter purchased the facility. The investigation also found that a facility manager marked employees time cards in an effort to pay them for their work fully, but determined that Porter ignored these marks.

The judgment was issued on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan by Judge Jane Beckering.

“Despite knowing her obligation to pay employees who missed their meal breaks to provide patient care and overcome staffing shortages, the owner of Safe Haven Assisting Living of Haslett chose to ignore the law and the reminders of a facility manager,” said Mary O’Rourke, Wage and Hour Division Grand Rapids district director.

“Caregivers who deliver essential services to help people unable to care for themselves are among our nation’s lowest paid workers, and these workers depend upon on every dollar earned to support themselves and their families” she said.

O’Rourke also encouraged other workers to contact the Department if they’re not being paid their full wage.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing assistant income averaged $32,090 in 2021, or about $15.43 per hour.

Safe Haven has four other locations in the mid-Michigan area, according to the company's website. Those locations include Okemos, Mason, Three Rivers and Hastings, although those locations were not included in the judgment.

Contact Sheldon Krause at skrause@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @sheldonjkrause.