MINNEAPOLIS– The US Department of Labor has filed a lawsuit against a Golden Valley healthcare company after it allegedly failed to pay nurses and orderlies overtime.

An investigation has found that Gregory Getchell, owner of Getch, Inc. and operator of Amada Senior Care Twin Cities, violated federal law by paying a flat daily rate to employees who provided home assistance with personal care and activities everyday. Getchell did not pay overtime to its employees and instead altered employee payroll records to make it look like overtime had been paid, according to the Labor Department.

The lawsuit seeks approximately $75,000 in back wages for the 25 affected employees.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found in June 2022 that 728,000 health and social care workers had left their jobs and the field had more than 2 million openings. The healthcare sector is expected to grow by 16% between 2020 and 2030.

“As employers in industry struggle to find people to fill the jobs needed to stay competitive, they must consider that it is more difficult to retain and recruit workers when employers do not respect workers’ rights and do not pay them their full wages,” Wage and Hour said. Divisional District Manager Kristin Tout.