Calif. Direct-Care Workers Sue Employer Over Wage Violations

Direct-care workers in California have filed a class action lawsuit against their employer, Kindred Healthcare, alleging minimum-wage and overtime-pay violations.

The class action suit represents several hundred current and former Kindred direct-care workers, who work in both in-home and facility settings.

The plaintiffs say that, despite working 12- or 24-hour shifts for Kindred, they did not receive overtime pay or state-mandated breaks for meals or sleep.

Additionally, for those long shifts, Kindred compensated workers with flat rates that amounted to far less than the minimum wage if broken down by the hour.

Hina Shah, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, told KGO-TV in San Francisco that some workers earned as little as $5.80 an hour for these shifts.

Home care workers who are not employed through the state’s In-Home Supportive Services program are entitled to both minimum-wage protections and time-and-a-half overtime pay for hours worked beyond nine per day (or 45 per week).

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Kindred is one of the country’s largest health care employers, with annual revenues of $5 billion, according to its website.

— by Matthew Ozga