BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – Workers at an in-home health healthcare program based in Birmingham say they went without pay for about a month, with no word on why. They called Local 4 for help. Within hours, cashier’s checks were hand delivered to the employees.
“I am mad. Angry. Disgusted. Frustrated,” LaDonna Hicks, an employee at Bee at Home in Birmingham, said.
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Hicks used to describe the payment situation.
“I’ve been there over five years,” Hicks said.
Hicks and Ay’Jah Greene are two of about 10 employees who work at Bee at Home healthcare based in Birmingham. Their days consist of living with and helping clients who need extra care.
“We are supposed to get paid on the 15th and the 30th of every month, so this not getting paid is a recurring situation,” Hicks said.
They say it’s taking a toll.
“How can I pay for childcare? How can I pay for a babysitter when I am doing services for this job. It’s uncomfortable because I have to tell these people, ‘Oh, I owe you,’” Greene said.
When they call their supervisor to ask why, they say there’s not an answer.
Fed up and frustrated – they reached out to Local 4. Local 4 called the company Friday morning.
Local 4 was told the supervisor could not speak, but would call me back that afternoon. They never heard back.
Instead, employees got an unexpected call.
Just a few hours later, cashier’s checks were hand delivered to each of them late yesterday.
“We got cashier’s checks yesterday. I did not even know you had called,” Hicks said.
“You have to think about the things where people have childcare,” Hicks said. “People have bills. People don’t have transportation and stuff like that.”
“If the supervisor, or the person in charge, were sitting right here, what would you say to them?” Local 4’s Kyla Russell asked.
“Oh, you don’t want to know that,” Greene said.
Employees say this isn’t the first time this has happened and while they are grateful to have this money they are owed, another pay period is coming up and they’re hopeful this doesn’t happen again.