DC Attorney General Karl Racine has filed a lawsuit against a company operating assisted-living residences over its alleged failure to fully pay employees overtime for their extra work during the COVID-19 crisis.
The defendant is Azure Healthcare Services who previously operated six supported-living centers with around 50 workers in the District. It was later sold to another owner.
“Denying caregivers and health care workers their hard-earned wages – during the world’s deadliest pandemic – is shameful, illegal, and morally reprehensible,” Racine said in a release. “These workers stepped up and did their jobs – working long hours at the company’s request during an unprecedented time for patients in need. They deserve to get paid for that work.”
According to Racine, Azure and its former owners must be held accountable for prioritizing profits over their staff’ livelihoods.
NEW: I’m suing Azure Health Services, a company operating supported-living facilities, for cheating its frontline health care workers of full wages, including overtime, during the pandemic.
Wage theft from hardworking caregivers is shameful, illegal, and won't go unpunished.
— AG Karl A. Racine (@AGKarlRacine) February 3, 2022
“If you are a company that cheats workers of their wages, my office will do everything possible to put that money back into the pockets of workers,” the Attorney General added.
Employees had to work for two-week shifts while staying at the facility 24 hours a day during the early days of the pandemic, according to the lawsuit. They were also “on call,” and required to be available to residents at all times during those two-week shifts, for which they were not fully paid. The hazard pay they were promised was not paid, either.