HILTON, N.Y. — Employees at Hilton East Assisted Living have been working to get the facility back up and running after a partial roof collapse and subsequent flood but some of them tell News10NBC, they haven’t been paid in weeks.
The flood at Hilton East happened in December and led to the evacuation of more than 130 residents. Those who lived there have been relocated to other facilities while contractors and employees have been working to help restore the building.
Jess, a Hilton East employee who typically works in the kitchen, shared her experience with News10NBC. “We just kept working, why would you think anything different,” she said.
After the kitchen was deep cleaned, Jess and her team took on additional tasks, including cleaning rooms, bathrooms and washing walls. Despite their efforts, payday came and went last week without a check. Jess explained the financial strain this has caused. “They are not a high paying facility. A lot of these people are making minimum wage and living paycheck to paycheck. One of my people that has talked to me, she’s a single mom, she barely has gas to get there.”
Employees have been informed that management is waiting for the insurance company to help fulfill payroll. Jess expressed her frustration, “we haven’t been paid so, today, I think I gave it a good grace period, a whole week and there is still no sign of being paid so, I left.”
Jennifer Lewke, News10NBC: “Do you feel like the owners are doing enough to get you all paid? What have you heard from them?”
Jess: “Very little, who have I seen of them? Very little. I believe they are on vacation in Florida.”
News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke has taken calls and messages from other employees at Hilton East who say they have not been paid. They forwarded internal messages from the Wegman family, owners of Hilton East, that apologize for the inconvenience and promise the payroll issue will be rectified by the end of the day on Monday.
In a statement, Hilton East Management tells News10NBC, “We are working closely and diligently with the Department of Health and our insurance partners to address and resolve the catastrophic event that recently impacted Hilton East. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our team, we are now at the finish line — fully focused on restoring operations and ensuring the safety, comfort, and well-being of our residents and staff. We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and swift action as we navigate this recovery process.”
The statement from Hilton East, did not acknowledge the payroll issue and when News10NBC followed-up with Management about that, they did not return her email.
Jess and other employees say they are filing complaints with the state department of labor. They still want to work at Hilton East but they want to be paid and paid on-time.
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