The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $52,000 owed to disabled workers by an Amarillo nonprofit operator who underpaid them wages.

Advo Companies failed to provide necessary services while paying sub-minimum wages

AMARILLO, Texas – The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $52,497 in back wages from 134 disabled workers after an Amarillo nonprofit that provides rehabilitation and job training services to adults with developmental and physical disabilities failed to pay them below the required minimum wage.

The Department’s Wage and Hour Division determined that Adobo Companies violated federal law by inaccurately paying disabled employees below the minimum wage based on incomplete work hour surveys and inaccurate prevailing wage rates. Additionally, the company failed to provide pre-employment transition and vocational rehabilitation services to workers under the age of 24 and failed to ensure that all workers received career counseling services, related information, referrals, and training opportunities as required by Section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act, thereby denying the employer the ability to pay below the minimum wage in connection with a certification under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“Employers must comply with federal regulations and pay workers with disabilities a fair wage for all hours worked,” said Evelyn Ortiz, Wage and Hour Division District Director in Albuquerque, N.M. “We are committed to ensuring that all workers have the highest protections to which they are entitled, and we encourage employers and employees to contact us for assistance in complying.”

Since 1991, Advo Companies Inc. has provided services such as job training, adult day services and rehabilitation services to adults with developmental and physical disabilities and operates approximately 27 residential facilities.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool you can use if you believe unpaid wages collected by the division are not owed. Workers and employers, regardless of immigration status, can contact the division confidentially at toll-free 1-866-4-US-WAGE (487-9243). The division can speak more than 200 languages. To ensure your hours and pay are accurate, download the agency’s new timesheet app, available in English and Spanish for Android and Apple devices.

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