BOSTON — A home health-care company that did not pay its employees overtime will pay more than $1 million in restitution and penalties, the state Attorney General’s Office announced on Tuesday.
Lawrence-based Maestro-Connections Home Health Systems, LLC (Maestro) and its sole manager George Kiongera did not keep accurate payroll records between June 2013 and October 2016, according to a press release from the AG.
Maestro employs more than 600 people, more than 130 of whom live in Lowell, the AG’s office said. Employees will receive an average settlement of $1,450.
Maestro provides home health services, including skilled nursing and home health aide visits. Employees were not paid time and a half when they worked more than 40 hours per week, the investigation by the Fair Labor Division found. Employers are also required by state law to track names of each of their employees and the number of hours they work each day and each week, which Maestro did not do, the state said.
“These workers provide critical health care services to seniors and others and they deserve to be paid properly, not cheated by their employer,” Attorney General Maura Healey stated in the press release. “With this settlement, hundreds of home health aides will now be paid the money they are owed.”
A representative of the company said by telephone on Tuesday that Kiongera was unavailable to comment on the situation.
The Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division began an investigation in 2016 after receiving an anonymous tip, the release states.
