Littlefield Hospitality nursing home owes it’s employees a total of $17,880.75, said the Lamb County District Attorneys Office Thursday. The DA’s Office said that six employees of Littlefield Hospitality have come forward, saying they are unable to cash their paychecks.
Sylvia Garcia is one of those employees, she worked for Littlefield Hospitality for two years as a Certified Nurse Aid. She was issued a check on June 25 that she received on June 27, and every day since then she has tried to cash the check to no avail. Every time she tries to cash the check, she is unable to because her workplace has insufficient funds.
“I don’t think anybody deserves this,” she said.
She was proud to work assisting the elderly and disabled patients at her workplace, but felt pushed to quit on July 2 when she realized she wasn’t going to be paid anytime soon.
“The reason I had to quit was because I had to choose between my residents and my family, to take care of them, the main reason is I wasn’t able to get my checks to be cashed,” said Garcia. As a mother, the stress of waiting for the money from her last check is weighing heavily on her.
Several of her coworkers also quit after not being able to cash their checks. Four employees who had recently quit met with EverythingLubbock.com in Littlefield Thursday. They expressed there had been other instances where Littlefield Hospitality had insufficient funds for their paychecks to cash, this recent incident was just the most egregious example.
“When I went and tried to cash it, they just threw the check it back in my face and it’s embarrassing because you work for a company that can’t pay you,” said Martha Freemon, who also worked at a CNA at Littlefield Hospitality. She also quit last week out of frustration with her payments.
Freemon explained that her family lost their car and couldn’t celebrate the 4th of July because they were missing the funds from the last paycheck.
The Lamb County District Attorney’s Office said that Littlefield Hospitality dropped off a check Thursday which will cover roughly 80 percent of the total amount owed, and they are hoping the nursing home company will repay the rest by the end of the week. The DA’s office added that it typically give companies 90 days to pay their employees before they file charges. District Attorney Scott Say added that he hopes the employees will have access to the money owed to them by early next week.
But the former employees we spoke to said that the damage has already done, many have had their cars repossesed, power turned off, and bills go unpaid.
“You go through a lot after this emotionally,” Garcia added. “It hurts you because you feel down you feel like nobody cares about you.”
Garcia shared with EverythingLubbock.com multiple days’ worth of text messages she said were between herself and Littlefield Hospitality’s manager, Kristi Porter. In a text message sent Thursday morning, Garcia said, “I need my check cash today the cut off my electricity yesterday and today and I have til noon to make my truck payment and I need my money today.”
Kristi replied, “There isn’t any money Sylvia”
EverythingLubbock.com reached out to Littlefield Hospitality for comment, Kristi Porter said that she couldn’t discuss the checking problems with us and that she had no further comment.
Garcia said that even if she gets the money in the coming days, going so long without the money she’s earned has caused problems for her and her family.
“My credit has been ruined, my name is in the mud because they haven’t been able to pay where I go to cash the checks,” she said.
“I’m waiting on a thousand dollars, that will get my truck back on, bills paid, rent paid, everything,” Freemon added. “I need this, I worked for it, I deserve it.”
Freemon wants to start looking into other jobs, but after losing her vehicle because she couldn’t cash her paychecks, she can’t even drive to get to future jobs.
“I just think it’s time for a new chapter in our lives, but first we gotta get our money,” she said
