Former employees of Waterview Heights have filed a lawsuit against the nursing home, alleging the facility's owners failed to give them proper notice before laying off more than 200 workers this summer.
The 229-bed nursing home is in the process of closing this month after federal officials pulled Medicare and Medicaid provider agreements over long-standing health and safety violations.
Federal law generally requires covered employers to provide 60 days' notice before certain mass layoffs or plant closings. New York's WARN Act generally requires covered employers to provide 90 days' notice.
Workers say Waterview Heights layoffs came with little notice
In a federal lawsuit filed Sept. 21, former employees Ericka Bingham and Latasha Gibson accused the nursing home and affiliated operators of ignoring those
requirements. Bingham said she was terminated in late August, roughly two weeks after management filed a closure notice with the state on Aug. 14. Gibson, a 20-year employee, was laid off in early September.
Neither received severance pay, according to the complaint.
Robert Hurlbut, listed on state filings as an officer of The Shore Winds LLC, which operated the nursing home, declined to comment Sept. 23.
The women are seeking class-action status to represent workers affected by the closure. Their attorneys are seeking back pay and benefits for workers they allege did not receive the notice required under federal and state law. The allegations have not been proven in court.
― Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Waterview Heights workers sue over nursing home layoffs
