Housekeepers charge Becker College with “wage theft”

Abuse is part of disturbing pattern of cheating already low paid workers

Five housekeepers and a horse barn manager at Becker College filed complaints with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division alleging that college management had cheated them out of tens of thousands of dollars in vacation time, holiday pay and overtime.

The six complaints were hand delivered to the Fair Labor Division on Friday, June 15.

“Vacation, holidays and health insurance should be a right for all Becker College workers,” said Maribel Santiago, a nine year veteran housekeeper from Worcester.  ”Once we started to work together to improve our wages and benefits, we discovered a pattern of abuse.”

Becker College has a policy of giving vacation, health care and other benefits to workers with more than 28 hours weekly service.  Because the college management classifies these employees as “part-time” staff (under 28 hours), it does not provide them with full benefits.  Yet many housekeepers and other employees classified as part-time actually work sufficient hours to qualify for vacation and health care benefits….

http://www.seiu888.org/2012/06/21/becker-college-workers-organizing-to-join-our-union/