PINOY CAREGIVERS FIGHT BACK AFTER WAGE DENIAL IN CALIFORNIA; AGENCY FINED $4.4M

Filipino workers in California were denied wages and workplace benefits after being misclassified as independent contractors by a Canoga Park home care agency.

The Filipinos were among the 144 caregivers who were denied basic protections, including wages and paid sick leave.

Hart Placement Agency Inc., along with its principals Annie Ghaw and Hartmann Ghaw, has been fined $4,423,450. Of the total, $4,266,450 is owed directly to workers, representing unpaid wages and compensation.

According to the Labor Commissioner’s Office investigation, caregivers were required to obtain business licenses, register false businesses, and sign contractor agreements while the company still controlled their schedules, duties, and pay—effectively stripping them of employee rights.

“This case exposes a system that profits from the vulnerability of immigrant workers,” said Pilipino Workers Center executive director Aquilina Soriano Versoza, whose group helped identify witnesses and support the workers.

“Too often, caregivers are exploited and denied basic protections, fair pay, and dignity in the workplace. These workers have courageously come forward, and that is what made accountability possible,” Versoza said.

California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Brower stressed that caregivers play an essential role and warned that misclassification strips them of rightful protections and carries serious consequences for employers.

The case highlights a broader issue faced by many migrant workers in the care industry, where misclassification schemes are used to cut costs at the expense of labor rights, leaving workers without minimum wage guarantees, overtime pay, and legal protections.