Massachusetts health care workers finally paid after I-Team investigation say checks bounced
NORTHBRIDGE - No one at Blackstone Valley Health and Rehabilitation in Northbridge wanted to talk about the employees that have not been paid in more than a month. Health care workers at all four of Blupoint Healthcare's long term care facilities tell the I-Team their paychecks started bouncing a month ago.
Last week Blackstone Valley employees held up signs on the street demanding to be paid. The company promised to fix the problem. In text messages to employees, it blamed the issue on a bank error. After the I-Team went to Blupoint Healthcare's Newton offices, workers got their paychecks. Employees told the I-Team they were happy and relieved.
Employee bank account overdrawn
But days later their banks told them the checks were no good. Lauren Foster, a nurse's aide, tells the I-Team, she got a call from her bank that her account was overdrawn. She says the company was supposed to put the money directly into her account. She still has not seen any of it.
Instead, Blackstone Valley sent a letter to residents and families telling them, "There have been some inconveniences for employees with paychecks."
Foster says it is more than inconvenient to not be paid for the work she has done. She says the company owes her thousands in back wages. "Looking for jobs right now, and it kills me to leave because I've been there almost two years now and the people I work with are like family, the residents are like family and I just hate to leave but I can't work for free," Foster said.
Some employees have walked of the job
The I-Team has learned some of the employees who were going to work, even though they were not being paid have now walked off the job. Workers tell us the Department of Health has sent a rapid response team to Blackstone Valley to help with the nursing shifts. The situation is so dire the property has a help wanted sign out front.
"I don't even know how we got to this point, because I know people pay a lot of money to be here, and I know insurance pays a lot of money for them to be here," Foster said.
Blupoint Healthcare also collects government funds through Medicare and MassHealth. The Medicare website lists three of its nursing home as having below average staffing. This week the for profit company sent messages to staff saying the community has set up a food pantry to help employees that Blupoint has not paid.
"It's sad. It's just not right," Foster said.
Blupoint did not respond to our repeated requests for comment. The I-Team also reached out to the Department of Health, the Attorney General's Office and Medicare. All tell us they cannot confirm or deny investigations.