USA: Migrant care workers reportedly subject to conditions of 'debt bondage' amid unsafe working conditions & wage theft; incl. co. comment
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Jun 2023
Location: United States of America
Other
Not Reported ( Recruitment agencies ) - RecruiterAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Philippines , Health and social care , Gender not reported )Issues
Restricted mobility , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Wage Theft , IntimidationResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Jun 2023
Location: United States of America
Companies
Overseas Manpower Solutions - RecruiterAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Philippines , Health and social care , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Restricted mobility , Freedom of Expression , Access to Information , Recruitment Fees , Debt Bondage , Mental HealthResponse
Response sought: Yes, by NBC
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: She described the mental and physical toll this took and the fear of retribution from her employer when she did find a new job. She was then sued by Overseas Manpower Solutions, alleging she owed the company would it would have made off her remaining, unworked hours. After reaching a settlement, she is unable to discuss the terms.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Jun 2023
Location: United States of America
Other
Not Reported ( Health and social care ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Philippines , Health and social care , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Excessive production targets , Occupational Health & Safety , Restricted mobilityResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Jun 2023
Location: United States of America
Other
Not Reported ( Health and social care ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Philippines , Health and social care , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Restricted mobility , Wage Theft , Fair & Equal Wages , Racial, ethnicity, caste or origin discrimination , Contract Substitution , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Recruitment Fees , Occupational Health & SafetyResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Jun 2023
Location: United States of America
Other
Not Reported ( Health and social care ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Philippines , Health and social care , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Restricted mobility , Poverty Wages , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure TimeResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Jun 2023
Location: United States of America
Companies
CommuniCare - Employer , WorldWide HealthStaff Solutions - RecruiterAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - Philippines , Health and social care , Gender not reported )Issues
Intimidation , Recruitment Fees , Excessive production targets , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure Time , Wage Theft , Restricted mobility , Human TraffickingResponse
Response sought: Yes, by NBC
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: One worker filed a lawsuit against CommuniCare and a recruiter in the Philippines it works with, WorldWide HealthStaff Solutions. Some practices are alleged to be illegal by the Labor Department.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Jun 2023
Location: United States of America
Other
Not Reported ( Health and social care ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Philippines , Health and social care , Gender not reported )Issues
Access to Information , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Contract SubstitutionResponse
Response sought: No
Action taken: None reported.
Source type: News outlet
“Trapped at work: Immigrant health care workers can face harsh working conditions and $100,000 lawsuits for quitting”
…more than a dozen immigrant health care workers from across the country described being placed in jobs where there was so little staff that they weren’t able to meet patients’ basic needs and feared for their physical safety…
But when the workers tried to leave their jobs before the expiration of multi-year contracts, they were faced with paying tens of thousands of dollars in penalties …
... after leaving the job, Ramos received a letter from the facilities owner, CommuniCare Family of Companies, demanding she pay $15,555…
About a year after leaving, she was sued by the recruiter, Overseas Manpower Solutions, which alleged she owed the company $42,231…
…the Labor Department filed a lawsuit in federal court against the staffing agency Advanced Care Staffing, alleging that the repayment provision in nurses’ contracts … would violate the Fair Labor Standards Act...
A judge ruled in 2019 that nursing home operator SentosaCare and a recruitment agency it used in the Philippines violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act...
[CommuniCare provides a statement included in the article. NBC news also contacted Overseas Manpower Solutions and Advanced Care Staffing for comment, who could not be reached].