SYLVANIA, Ohio (WTVG) - Several current and former employees at Sylvania Health Care, formerly called Divine Rehabilitation & Nursing of Sylvania, say they’ve struggled for months to get paid on time — if they get paid at all — even as their bills keep coming.
Ruth Clark, who no longer works at the facility, says she’s still waiting on a paycheck she was counting on.
“Me and several others haven’t received checks,” Clark said. “The next pay period ends on Saturday. They’ve been telling us our checks are coming... it hasn’t made it yet. We need our money!”
Clark isn’t alone. Two current employees told 13 Action News they’ve faced similar issues getting paid.
Unique Smith, who still works at the facility, said the problems have been ongoing since summer.
“We’ve been having problems with our checks since June, with direct deposits not hitting or a check just not showing up in the mail at all for us,” said Smith.
The facility now operates under the name Sylvania Health Care and has new management, though the sign outside the building still reads Divine. Employees say their payroll issues began around the same time as that transition.
One employee said she was told she’d receive a paper check or direct deposit by Wednesday. Neither came, she said, and bills she normally pays on time are now falling behind.
Jewel Statham described the strain of missed payments piling up.
“My car note is due. They’ve been calling me. I don’t like getting phone calls. I like my stuff to be on time, and now it’s not on time,” Statham said. “And giving me a $20 bill every now and then? No, that’s not enough.”
Even with paychecks delayed or missing, employees say they’ve kept showing up for their shifts.
“Checks come in late, almost two weeks late, some people not getting paid at all,” Smith said. “So, we’re just trying to survive. It’s tooth and nail still showing up to work at that, and then not getting appreciated while we’re here on the clock working short-staffed.”
Clark said she tried reaching the facility’s corporate office directly but never got an answer there either.
13 Action News ran into the same silence. A reporter called Sylvania Health Care Thursday morning seeking comment. No one answered, and there was no option to leave a voicemail. The reporter then went to the facility in person.
An employee who identified himself only as Mark met the reporter outside. He declined to give his last name or job title, said no one else on site was available to speak, and asked the reporter to leave the property after providing contact information.
As of Friday morning, the facility had not responded to 13 Action News’ request for comment.
For Clark, the frustration comes down to fairness.
“Please give me my money,” she said. “It’s unfair that we work and do not get paid, but you guys go home every day and eat, sleep and rest. That’s unfair for us.”