Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO
  • Home
  • Take Action Now!
  • Calendar
  • Programs
    • Community Services >
      • Espanol
      • Mission
      • Donate Now
      • Programs
      • Funders
      • Archives
    • Political Action >
      • Meetings
      • DC Voting Info 2020
      • MD Voting Info
      • Legislative Updates
      • Archive
      • Mission
      • Elected Officials
      • Endorsements
      • Candidate Questionnaires: Archive 2006-2014 >
        • 2018
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • Other
        • 2012
        • 2010
        • 2008
        • 2007
        • 2006
    • Unemployment Help
    • Hiring Hall >
      • ADMINISTRATIVE
      • COMMUNICATIONS
      • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
      • INTERNSHIPS
      • LEGAL
      • MISC
      • ORGANIZING
      • POLITICAL
      • RESEARCH
  • Union City Radio
  • About Us
    • Leaders & Staff
  • Union City News
  • Affiliates
  • DC LaborFest
    • Archive >
      • 2022 Events
      • 2021 Films
      • 2021 Other
      • 2020 Films
      • 2019
      • Films (AFI) 2019
      • Films (other) 2019
      • Music 2019
      • History (2019)
      • Art (2019)
      • Other: Fashion show, Soccer, Solidarity Awards, Trivia (2019)
      • Radio/Podcasts
      • 2018
      • Other events
      • Films (AFI) 2018
      • Films (other) 2018
      • Music (2018)
      • History (2018)
      • Art (2018)
      • Other: Marx, whiskey, pub trivia & radio (2018)
      • 2017 >
        • Films (AFI)
        • Films (other)
        • Music
        • History
        • Art
        • Other: Soccer, Whiskey, Theater
      • 2016 >
        • Films (AFI)
        • Films (other)
        • Music
        • History & Art
        • Soccer, Poetry
      • 2015
      • 2014
  • Affiliate Social Media
  • Allies Social Media
  • Constituency Group Social Media
  • Union Shop
  • Evening With Labor
    • Archive
    • 2019 Evening With Labor
    • 2018 Evening With Labor
    • 2017 Evening With Labor
    • 2016 Evening With Labor
    • 2015 Evening With Labor
  • Home
  • Take Action Now!
  • Calendar
  • Programs
    • Community Services >
      • Espanol
      • Mission
      • Donate Now
      • Programs
      • Funders
      • Archives
    • Political Action >
      • Meetings
      • DC Voting Info 2020
      • MD Voting Info
      • Legislative Updates
      • Archive
      • Mission
      • Elected Officials
      • Endorsements
      • Candidate Questionnaires: Archive 2006-2014 >
        • 2018
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • Other
        • 2012
        • 2010
        • 2008
        • 2007
        • 2006
    • Unemployment Help
    • Hiring Hall >
      • ADMINISTRATIVE
      • COMMUNICATIONS
      • INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
      • INTERNSHIPS
      • LEGAL
      • MISC
      • ORGANIZING
      • POLITICAL
      • RESEARCH
  • Union City Radio
  • About Us
    • Leaders & Staff
  • Union City News
  • Affiliates
  • DC LaborFest
    • Archive >
      • 2022 Events
      • 2021 Films
      • 2021 Other
      • 2020 Films
      • 2019
      • Films (AFI) 2019
      • Films (other) 2019
      • Music 2019
      • History (2019)
      • Art (2019)
      • Other: Fashion show, Soccer, Solidarity Awards, Trivia (2019)
      • Radio/Podcasts
      • 2018
      • Other events
      • Films (AFI) 2018
      • Films (other) 2018
      • Music (2018)
      • History (2018)
      • Art (2018)
      • Other: Marx, whiskey, pub trivia & radio (2018)
      • 2017 >
        • Films (AFI)
        • Films (other)
        • Music
        • History
        • Art
        • Other: Soccer, Whiskey, Theater
      • 2016 >
        • Films (AFI)
        • Films (other)
        • Music
        • History & Art
        • Soccer, Poetry
      • 2015
      • 2014
  • Affiliate Social Media
  • Allies Social Media
  • Constituency Group Social Media
  • Union Shop
  • Evening With Labor
    • Archive
    • 2019 Evening With Labor
    • 2018 Evening With Labor
    • 2017 Evening With Labor
    • 2016 Evening With Labor
    • 2015 Evening With Labor

D.C. Home Care Workers Sue Over Wage Theft

12/11/2014

 
More than 140 District of Columbia home health care workers on Thursday filed a lawsuit against three of the city’s largest Medicaid providers alleging widespread failure to pay legally required wages. The group of home care workers will seek class action certification on behalf of as many as 6,000 coworkers in the coming weeks, and this will be the first in a series of suits that will be filed against the D.C. home care agencies, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East announced Thursday... 
Damages for all of the lawsuits could result in more than $150 million in pay to the workers, the union said. The agencies, which include Health Management, Inc., Nursing Enterprises, Vizion One, Inc., are already embroiled in a Medicaid fraud investigation, which uncovered $78 million in fraud, resulting in the suspension of 13 agencies.

“I’m proud of the work I do to help my clients live at home, but I can’t afford to work for free,” said Michael Thompson, a former employee of Nursing Enterprises and a plaintiff in the lawsuit. “During the Medicaid fraud investigation I lost my apartment. Many of my colleagues were even left homeless, but we still went to work. These companies are taking advantage of workers, taxpayers and our clients, and we all deserve better.”

The lawsuit alleges that workers at three agencies, Health Management Inc., Nursing Enterprises, Inc. and Vizion One, Inc., were not paid for work, not paid the legally owed living wages and overtime pay and not provided paid sick days for a period of as long as three years.

“For years, the home care agencies flagrantly violated the District of Columbia’s basic wage and hour protections for workers,” said Greg McGillivary, an attorney with Woodley & McGillivary LLP, which is representing D.C. home care workers in these lawsuits. “These lawsuits will help the home care workers recover the money that is owed to them.”

“The actual laws around living wage for home care workers are strong, but the law is not being enforced in a way that is holding these agencies accountable. We need better enforcement,” said John Reid, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU. “The people providing care to our most vulnerable citizens must be treated with respect and provided the wages and benefits they are legally owed.”

Home care work is the fastest growing profession in the country. Nationwide the number of home health aides is projected to increase by nearly 50 percent from 2012 to 2022. More and more DC residents are choosing long term care at home instead of in nursing homes or other facilities, so the need for these workers is projected to increase locally.

The far-reaching suit represents a growing legal strategy by workers and their advocates, including worker centers, unions and plaintiffs’ attorneys to reclaim lost wages in the absence of government enforcement.

“Home care workers provide essential services and often put their patients’ care ahead of their pay,” said Sarah Leberstein, Staff Attorney at the National Employment Law Project. “And when these companies try to scam the system, they corner their employees into being late on rent, car payments and mortgages. When this happens, a lawsuit is necessary to hold these employers accountable.”

In a recently published Department of Labor report, wage theft was described as more prevalent than previously expected and health service employees are identified as some of the most vulnerable. The move to pursue a class action lawsuit is the leading edge of a new strategy to reclaim back pay for workers whose employers have not complied with the law and governments that are provided adequate enforcement.

Comments are closed.

    DC LABORFEST 2022

    Tweets by @DCLabor

    COVID RESOURCES

    COMMUNITY SERVICES

    EN ESPANOL

    UNEMPLOYMENT HELP

    LEGISLATIVE UPDATES


    ​Leaders & Staff

    AFFILIATES

    AFFILIATE Social Media

    HIRING HALL

    Evening with Labor

    Union City News

    UNION SHOP

    DC LABOR MAP

    Documents

    Constitution

    2022 MWC Election

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

Share any story to Facebook, Twitter or via email!
Just click on the story
​and then click on the appropriate social media icon at right!
COPYRIGHT METRO WASHINGTON LABOR COUNCIL AFL-CIO 2022
202-974-8150; [email protected]