Comptroller: Nassau health aide firms owe back pay

BY SID CASSESE | sid.cassese@newsday.com
October 31, 2008
Five personal health aide firms contracted to the county have been found in violation of the county's Living Wage Law for almost $138,000, Nassau Comptroller Howard Weitzman said.

According to Weitzman, some workers got fewer days off than owed, were underpaid and got no health or child care benefits, in violation of the 2007 law.

"This law is to protect our lowest-paid workers," Weitzman said at a news conference yesterday at the offices of Local 338 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in Mineola. He said all employers gave or promised full back pay to their workers and compliance with the law.

The county has contracts with 35 such agencies of about $65 million, mostly to Medicaid.

Weitzman said none of the seven agencies audited for 2007 were fully compliant with the law.

Tender Loving Care Health Care, based in Baton Rouge, La., owed workers $64,153 for wage underpayments and days off.

Allen Health Care Services in Queens owed $45,119 for underpayment of days off.

Premier Home Health Care Services in White Plains owed $15,683 for underpaid wages.

New York Health Care in Brooklyn owed $6,350 for underpayment of days off.

First Choice Home Care in Great Neck owed $6,289 for underpayment of the value of days off.

Aides at Home Inc. in Hicksville and Long Island Care at Home in Westbury were cited for lesser offenses and no monetary value was placed.

First Choice coordinator Diane Smith said the law was misunderstood the first year, and Susan Hechtman, a vice president at Aides, called it "confusing at first." Beverly James, who runs the Westbury firm, said she was unaware of Weitzman's comment that it had "understated the time a part-time employee was entitled to take off and did not compute accrued leave accurately." The other companies did not return calls.

Weitzman said all employees worked in Nassau. Under the law, employees who mostly were making $7 to $8.50 an hour went to $9.50 and got certain benefits. When fully implemented by Aug. 1, 2010, they will make $12.50 an hour. Without the benefits, workers must get $1.50 an hour more.