Press Release

Arizona Company to Pay Back Wages After Denying Paid Sick Leave to Employee Whose Doctor Ordered Coronavirus Quarantine

Issued by Wage and Hour Division [WHD], U.S. Department of Labor [DOL]

May 14, 2020

PHOENIX, AZ – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Pueblo Mechanical and Controls LLC – an HVAC and plumbing company in Phoenix, Arizona – will pay one employee $1,000 for failing to provide him paid sick leave after a healthcare provider ordered him to self-quarantine for coronavirus-related reasons.

WHD investigators found Pueblo Mechanical and Controls paid sick leave for only two of the 13 days the employee spent self-quarantined at the direction of his doctor, after potential exposure to the virus. By doing so, the employer violated the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

“The U.S. Department of Labor continues to protect and educate employees and employers during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Wage and Hour District Director Eric Murray in Phoenix, Arizona. “We encourage employers and employees to call us for assistance to learn the new requirements under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and use our educational online tools to avoid violations like those found in this case. WHD continues to provide updated information on our website and through extensive outreach efforts to ensure that workers and employers have the information they need about the benefits and protections of this new law.”

The FFCRA helps the U.S. combat and defeat the workplace effects of the coronavirus by giving tax credits to American businesses with fewer than 500 employees to provide employees with either paid leave for the employee’s own health needs or to care for family members. Please visit WHD’s “Quick Benefits Tips” for information about how much leave workers may qualify to use, and the wages employers must pay. The law enables employers to keep their workers on their payrolls, while at the same time ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus.

WHD provides additional information on common issues employers and employees face when responding to the coronavirus and its effects on wages and hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act and on job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic

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