Filipino caregivers receive share of $5.5-M settlement from home care employer By GMA Integrated News

NEW YORK — The California Labor Commissioner's Office has concluded a $5.5-million settlement against Adat Shalom Board and Care Inc. in a wage theft lawsuit, compensating 148 caregivers, mostly Filipino immigrants, at the employer's six adult care facilities in Los Angeles. Despite providing around the clock care to elderly residents, the workers were only compensated for six hours daily. The initial payment of $2 million from the settlement has already been distributed to the workers, many of whom have dedicated numerous years to their roles in the healthcare facilities. The investigation was initiated in June 2017 following a report of labor law violations from the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), which resulted in citations issued in 2018. Adat Shalom Board and Care Inc. and its owner-operator Angelica Reingold appealed the citations, which were upheld in 2021. Subsequently, the Labor Commissioner's Office filed a lawsuit to reverse the improper transfer of assets, leading to the $5.5-million settlement. California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower stated, "For years, the employer paid these caregivers less than three dollars an hour and attempted to avoid liability by hiding assets. Our team took the employer to court to stop the illegal transfer of assets." "My office is committed to collecting owed wages from employers engaged in wage theft and stopping these illegal practices. This settlement also secures an agreement by the employer to no longer operate a residential care business in California," she said. — Dave Llavanes Jr./ VDV, GMA Integrated News