THREE MOTELS TO PAY OVER $65,000 FOR WAGE AND EARNED SICK TIME VIOLATIONS AGAINST WORKERS

 THREE MOTELS TO PAY OVER $65,000 FOR WAGE AND EARNED SICK TIME VIOLATIONS AGAINST WORKERS  

Citations Include Restitution For 36 Employees  

 

BOSTON – Three affiliated motels in Shrewsbury, Sutton and Woburn, along with their managers, will pay more than $65,000 in restitution and penalties to resolve allegations that they failed to pay their workers timely wages and earned sick time, amongst other labor violations, the Attorney General’s Office announced today.  

 

The motels, Azad Shrewsbury LLC d/b/a Worcester City Motel, located in Shrewsbury, and Azad Sutton LLC d/b/a Red Roof Inn, Azad Woburn I LLC d/b/a Red Roof Inn, located in Sutton and Woburn, respectively, along with their managers, Ketan H. Patel, Charles P. Minasian, and Robert Parsekian, respectively, have been issued three citations for failure to make timely payment of wages, failure to provide earned sick time, and for failing to maintain true and accurate payroll and timekeeping records.  

 

“Our Fair Labor Division works hard to ensure that employers are complying with the state’s wage and hour laws, and that workers know their rights,” said Acting Attorney General Bessie Dewar. “As a result of this settlement, the workers who were harmed by this company’s unlawful actions will get the money they earned.”  

The AG’s Fair Labor Division began investigating Worcester City Motel and Red Roof Inn, following a complaint that alleged employees were not being paid for all hours worked, working long hours with little rest or break time, and an unpredictable pay schedule.  

 

Through the investigation, the AG’s Office was able to determine the company owed just under $35,000 in wages to one worker. The review also determined that the motels’ sick leave policy was not in compliance with state law because it provided unpaid leave and was unavailable for the first year of employment. Under Massachusetts’ Earned Sick Time Law, employers must provide paid sick leave if they employ 11 or more employees, and employees must be permitted to take job-protected sick leave after 90 days of employment. Thirty-six employees in total were impacted by this violation across Worcester City Motel and both Red Roof Inn locations.  

 

Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in their workplace are encouraged to file a complaint at www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor. For information about the state’s wage and hour laws, workers may call the AG’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or go to www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for materials in multiple languages including Spanish and Portuguese. 

 

             This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Drew Cahill, and Investigators Huong Phan and Yolanda O’Shea, of the AG’s Fair Labor Division.