Kenyan-Owned Home Health-Care Company in Massachusetts Fined $1 Million

Kenyan-Owned Home Health-Care Company in Massachusetts Fined $1 Million

A Kenyan-owned home health-care company in Massachusetts has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution and penalties for failing to pay its employees overtime.

Maestro-Connections Home Health Systems, LCC, based in Lawrence, MA and owned by George Kiongera, employes more than 600 people to provide home health services including skilled nursing, home health aide visits, and physical therapy, according to its website.

Massachusetts Attorney General’s office says Maestro did not pay employees time and a half when they worked more than 40 hours in a week as required by law. The AG’s office also says the company failed to keep accurate payroll records with the names of each of their employees and the number of hours they work each day and each week as required.

"These workers provide critical health care services to seniors and others and they deserve to be paid properly, not cheated by their employer. With this settlement, hundreds of home health aides will now be paid the money they are owed,” said Attorney General Maura Healey in a press statement.

The statement by the AG  added that the Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division began investigating the company in2016 following an anonymous tip.

Company employees will receive an average of $1,450 each in settlement.

Comments

rose njeri kamau (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 07:21pm

We Gikyuyus must wake up read the law. In Kenya we don't read the law we just work by our own opinions. Now we are in trouble. How can we just play with the constitution just to make Uhuru retain power? What we have done is to build enemies with other tribes.

Guest1 (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 08:30pm

In reply to by Mzeia (not verified)

Mzeia. She is ABSOLUTELY Right; and You're VEHEMENTLY in Denial. So FYI: It's RIGGING the System in Both Cases. In Uhuru's Case, Uhuru was Rigged in; in Kiongera's Case, Money was Rigged in. Laana Inawafautafuata EVERYWHERE you go because of the CORRUPT Seed Jomo and Forefathers and Fathers have Sown over the years. Upandacho Ndicho UVUNACHO.

Kenya (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 10:19pm

In reply to by rose njeri kamau (not verified)

@rose njeri kamau. Talk on your behalf only. "Now we are in trouble" Who is in trouble. As far as I know. I'm not in trouble and all the people I know are not in trouble. By the way who make you the Gikuyu spokeswoman? Kihere here tiga

Ujuzi (not verified)     Sun, 11/26/2017 @ 06:52am

In reply to by rose njeri kamau (not verified)

Have been scammed by luo, kamba and kikuyu etc in work relations here in US. It is nothing about specific tribe. Kenyans come to use with lax attitudes on the need to be accountable to the last penny and 1/4 hr as the minimum. That is where we face problem.

Anonymous (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 07:31pm

You must be stupid, drunk or using pipe. Why are you making connection between this guy and our president.

Ken (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 07:35pm

Good judgement. Ujinga peleka nyumbani. I’m sure many Kenyan American home health professionals suffered here.

formerlyguest 2 (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 08:08pm

and he was in the papers for his "success" and I think even here in Mwakilishi. All that glitters is not gold !

Anonymous (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 08:16pm

You are the one who is stipid.This is not Kenya where your mind set is that elections have to be bungled ,stolen or manipulated to retain or stay in power by force.This is not the first time kikuyus have been found with major scandals in US.It is becoming notorious just like Nigerians. You are turning the Kenyan image to look bad on the National stage.Please kikuyus this is not Kenya where there is no law and where you threaten judges this is US.Please stop this greedness in America.You are making Kenyans look bad now.very soon we won't get visas to come to US.Muwache Wizi kenya.I know it is in your blood that you must steal in order to become rich,but you should also remember that this country USA has laws jameni.This must stop.Two months ago there was kikuyu in Worcester massachussetts Kikuyus please please stop this scandals.

Formerlyguest2 (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 09:36pm

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Glad this news has given you the space you have craved to spew hate and vomit of your spite. Glad that helped😜. I would suggest yoga or pilates or just plain walking in nature, it calms nerves

Kenya (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 09:45pm

George Kiongera was on Mwakilishi & Daily Nation few years ago that he bought land in Nairobi from Moi for 500M Ksh. The same land was claimed by United States International University - Africa (USIU-A). I guess the case is still in court

JustMe (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 11:40pm

In reply to by Kenya (not verified)

Thanks Kenya for refreshing those with memories like mine...now I 'judge'.
State laws in America differ...the Fed only gives a framework. I once tried to start such a thing in a State I lived in... it is complicated... too many records to keep...OT to full-timers and no OT for Independent Contractors (IC). To make a kill, Employers prefer IC so they don't pay benefits, but at the same time employ them 'continuously'...FERTILE GROUND for law-suits.
However, as much as US is way ahead of Kenya in its systems and all, and as much as Africans (used to be Nigerians now Kenyans) leave a lot to be desired in there crookedness, there is a lot of WITCH-HUNTING this field....especially when you seem to make lots of money and you are an IMMIGRANT...calling for immigrants to be extra careful and ensure professional management right from the word go.

Maxiley (not verified)     Tue, 11/21/2017 @ 11:07pm

Before you guys castigate this fellow as acrook,familiarize yourselves with the labor laws.True he may have tried to circumvent the laws and save money by not paying ovetime.He may have done this by employing contract employees,or salaried employees.The tricky part with contract employees is that they have to be totally independent,but if you have to instruct them on what to do even though they are"contract" employees, if you are sued, you will have to pay for overtime.And,Ithink this is what may have happened here...just a guess.

Anonymous (not verified)     Wed, 11/22/2017 @ 09:16am

Please Kenyans you're forgetting you can not bring your corruption in America. Don't just only think about yourself getting rich but remember that's why everyone is here trying to make ends meet. Do the right thing not just thinking about your pockets and your bank accounts. Let everyone get what they deserve.

Imbuwa (not verified)     Wed, 11/22/2017 @ 12:14pm

Let us judge people as individuals. Yes, each person has a right to conduct business the way they understand it and according to the laws of the country where they reside. Should they error, they will face the consequences of the law in that country whether from this tribe or that. Tribe has nothing to do with how they conduct their business. What has taken place here has to do with where the owner of the business is residing, where the business is being conducted and the applicable laws of that state. Let has put our opinions and emotions to rest.

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
CAPTCHA
11 + 2 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.