Former caregivers at Uniontown home care provider launch protest
At issue is unpaid wages
Several former caregivers from a recently closed home care provider in Uniontown protested outside its office Thursday morning, saying they had not been paid for most of their final week of work.
Robin Walters, a caregiver who helped organize Thursday’s protest, said she was concerned both about the workers who were without pay as well as the clients who suddenly found themselves without help.
Employees of Gentle Angels at 150 Pittsburgh St. had been told on Oct. 16 that they no longer had jobs and should notify their clients that services would stop immediately, Walters said. The company provided live-in care, mobility care, and other services for seniors and those requiring assistance, according to its website.
“I had to call my client at 5 p.m. and tell him we weren’t working; there was no services being provided for him,” she said.
Gentle Angels’ license had expired Sept. 30 after no license renewal form was submitted, according to a letter from the state Division of Home Health.
Walters said she had spoken with a state service coordinator who had told her that her clients’ services had still been funded through Oct. 16. However, she said, the Gentle Angels caregivers had been paid for only one or two days of service for their final week.
“They gave us 12 hours on a paycheck for Friday, so they’re basically slapping us in the face,” she said. “The state did pay. Why would you pay out of pocket for 12 hours if the state didn’t pay you your money?”
Walters said they received money through Carla Holcomb, the manager for Gentle Angels, who handled operations for the company. Holcomb had not responded to a request for comment on the protests as of Thursday afternoon.
Gentle Angels’ owner, Gerald Goldsmith, said he was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, and had only learned of the payroll issues Wednesday.
“I’m hoping that it gets resolved,” he said.
The agency had operated since 2021.
About 70 caregivers had been employed by Gentle Angels, serving about 65 clients in the area, according to office staff.
Caregiver Myiesha Michaux said she had only been paid for two of the six days she worked during a final week where she’d been on the job for 83 hours.
“I should have my money,” she said. “I’ve got three kids to take care of, and I’ve got bills too.”