Originally Syndicated on May 13, 2024 @ 6:01 am
Angel Connection Nursing Services is a Long Beach, California-based provider of home health care. They assert that ACNS specializes in providing personal care services, including in-home relationships and treatment, temporary care, and transitional care. Their long list of offerings ranges from rehabilitation following surgery for patients of every age to hospice care for the elderly. Angel Connection Nursing Services’ goal is to provide exceptional care courteously and knowledgeably.
The state claims that home care providers in Long Beach are owed about $2 million for theft of wages
Breach of Wage Theft Statutes
A jury has determined that two home care companies in Long Beach broke wage theft statutes, affecting sixty-six caregivers, most of whom are Filipino.
Employee Misclassification
Angel Connection Nursing Care and Angel Connection Nursing Services incorrectly classified workers as independent contractors to avoid having to pay minimum wage, overtime, worker’s compensation insurance, and payroll taxes.
Campaigning Activities
To bring attention to the matter and guarantee that pay rules are followed, advocates from Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Southern California and the Pilipino Workers Center worked together.
Positivity Despite Obstacles
Despite difficulties, Maria, a home care provider, is hopeful that she will be fairly compensated for her labor, despite the physical and psychological demands of her position.
Protest and Uproar
Maria was among the demonstrators who gathered outside the company’s office to call for equitable pay and to expose wage theft.
Finding the Important Figures
The state lists Annabelle Ricasata as the proprietor of Angel Connection Nursing Care and as a full-time worker for Angel Connection Nursing Services.
Legal Consequences
The legal repercussions are highlighted by Yvonne Medrano of the Bet Tzedek legal aid group. One employee is owed around $200,000 for services provided over three years because of misclassification.
Fear of Retaliation
Caretakers, especially undocumented workers, continue to fear reprisals and the possibility of losing their immigration status. Whistleblower protection is guaranteed by advocates.
Greater Effect
This case highlights the wider problem of wage fraud that affects healthcare workers in home and residential settings, as demonstrated by other cases such as the Adat Shalom network case.
Los Angeles home nursing providers fined nearly $2 million
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office has fined Angel Connection Nursing Care and Angel Connection Nursing Services, two Long Beach-based home healthcare placement companies, almost $1.9 million for allegedly falsely classifying 66 home health employees as independent contractors.
Penalties were levied for several infractions, including theft of wages. In addition to nine of the employees not getting the legal minimum wage, this includes the failure to pay overtime earnings to 22 other employees.
According to investigations, Angel Connection Nursing Services employs Annabelle Ricasata, the proprietor of Angel Connection Nursing Care, full-time. Allegedly, the misrepresentation of workers as self-employed was done to avoid paying payroll taxes, workers’ compensation insurance, and required wages.
The majority of the impacted workers, who are immigrants from the Philippines, frequently made as little as $6.25 per hour without overtime pay while working demanding 24-hour hours six days a week.
The labor commissioner stressed how misclassification hurts both employees and the whole economy. According to Lilia Garca-Brower, misclassified workers frequently go unnoticed as they are being abused and denied basic rights like overtime pay and the minimum wage.
Important contributions to raising awareness of the issue and supporting the investigation were made by Bet Tzedek Legal Services and the Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California.
Over $1 million in unpaid salaries must be paid by Ricasata and the owners of Angel Connection Nursing Services, among the other guilty parties. Penalties for misclassification, not providing pay statements, and not providing workers’ compensation insurance are imposed on Angel Connection Nursing Care.
The executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center, Aquilina Soriano Versoza, commended those who provide care for bringing attention to the difficulties experienced by domestic caregivers, such as extended work shifts without breaks and unpaid overtime.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Angel Connection Nursing Services case highlights how commonplace employment misclassification and pay theft are in the home healthcare industry. The company has been forced to pay back wages to the impacted employees and face fines approaching $2 million as a result of its conduct, even though it aimed to deliver high-quality treatment.
Advocacy groups such as the Pilipino Workers Center and Bet Tzedek Legal Services underscore the significance of community support in tackling labor breaches and guaranteeing equitable treatment for laborers, especially those with immigrant backgrounds who could have supplementary difficulties. Going forward, it is critical that employers and regulatory agencies enforce labor laws, safeguard whistleblowers, and create an atmosphere in which every worker is fairly compensated and acknowledged for their vital contributions to society.
