HONOLULU – A Honolulu substance abuse treatment facility must pay a total of $451,989 in back wages to 34 substance use disorder counselors and kitchen, clerical, maintenance and administrative staff after a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into the center’s illegal pay practices. In some cases, the facility paid workers providing patient care and other services as little as $400 per month.
Investigators from the department’s Wage and Hour Division determined Kline Welsh Behavioral Health Foundation – operators of the Sand Island Treatment Center – did not pay affected employees overtime and minimum wages for all hours worked and failed to keep payroll records, all violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
“People who provide care and valuable assistance in healthcare facilities deserve to be paid for their hard work and for the essential services they deliver to people in need,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Terence Trotter in Honolulu. “The Wage and Hour Division will ensure employers, such as Sand Island Treatment Center, meet their obligations under the law to the caregivers and workers who depend on their wages to care for themselves and their families.”
The division learned that the treatment center paid affected workers salaries that fell below the federal minimum wage when they worked between 41 and 63 hours in a workweek. Kline Welsh Behavioral Health Foundation also paid some employees a monthly stipend as low as $400 and classifying them...
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