More than 20 workers from Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services (NEON) rallied outside the Justice Center in Downtown Cleveland Thursday before filing small-claims lawsuits over what they say are months of unpaid wages.
鈥淎n employer has one job to pay their employees what they are owed,鈥� said Camilo Villa, an organizer with Service Employees International Union Local 1, who joined the workers. 鈥�(NEON is) failing on the one thing that they must do.鈥�
NEON is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), a network of community health clinics that serves mostly low-income patients across Cleveland. Employees said their paychecks began bouncing or stopped arriving altogether in December.
Supporters from labor groups, community organizations and Cleveland鈥檚 Fair Employment Wage Board joined the rally.
One NEON worker who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation said skipped paychecks have created financial and emotional turmoil for her.
鈥淎s an employee, my family has greatly been affected with children and missing pay and not being able to pay bills on time really puts me in a (stressful) position ... mentally,鈥� the worker said.
The lawsuits come as NEON faces broader financial troubles. The nonprofit has struggled with cash-flow problems that it says are due in part to delayed reimbursements and declining patient visits. A New Jersey-based lender sued the nonprofit last year for not making payments on a $8.6 million loan. Advocates at Thursday鈥檚 rally also said some workers discovered their health insurance coverage had lapsed when they sought medical care.
Tanmay Shah, a Cleveland city councilmember representing Ward 12, said the city is looking at ways to protect workers by preventing similar situations in the future.
鈥淩ight now we are concerned with making sure that these workers get paid first, and that is more important than the longevity of an organization because these are the workers doing the labor right now,鈥� he said.
The legal action follows an signed by more than a dozen labor and community groups calling for removal of NEON CEO Willie Austin and the organization鈥檚 board, and for workers to be paid immediately.
NEON did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Workers and supporters said they plan to continue pursuing back pay through the courts and public pressure.
