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Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced Tuesday that her office has issued a citation against William J. Segal, Owner of Alpha Healthcare LLC, a Swansea-based skilled nursing rehabilitation company that operates multiple facilities across Massachusetts, for failing to make timely wage payments to nearly 500 employees. The citation, totaling nearly $1.1 million, includes penalties and restitution for unpaid wages. The restitution was paid directly to the impacted employees when a receiver was appointed to oversee the financial management of the company.
Alpha Healthcare LLC owns and operates Cedarwood Gardens on Chestnut Street in Franklin. The facility has approximately 80 beds and was among those effected by the breakdown in wage payments.
“When employers violate our laws, including by failing to make timely wage payments, the economic security of workers and their families is unfairly put at risk,” said AG Campbell. “My office will continue to enforce our laws to protect and empower workers, reminding employers that Massachusetts is serious about protecting workers’ rights.”
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) found that in violation of Massachusetts’ wage and hour laws, Alpha Healthcare LLC failed to make timely wage payments to employees for work performed between September 15, 2024, and September 28, 2024. The AGO asserts that the failure to make timely payments impacted all of the company’s nearly 500 employees working within each of its other four private rehabilitation facilities in Fall River, Newburyport, Swansea, and Stoughton.
The AGO began investigating the matter upon receiving complaints from multiple employees regarding lack of timely wage payments.
Massachusetts’ wage and hour laws impose requirements pertaining to employee pay and recordkeeping, including timely wage payments within six days after the end of a pay period, and payment for all time worked.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Shannan Leelyn and Investigators Paul Gordon and Ann Yancey Bassett of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, which is tasked with enforcing the state’s wage and hour, child labor, and other employment laws.
This matter is representative of AG Campbell’s commitment to championing workers’ rights and advancing economic justice, as underscored in her strategic plan. Earlier this year, AG Campbell cited airport service company Swissport over $3 million for violating workers’ rights, including for failing to make timely wage payments, and cited multiple Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, and Subway franchise operators for violating child labor laws.
