Health care company leaving workers without pay | ABC11 Raleigh-Durham

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By ABC11

Thursday, February 3, 2011

DURHAM Bright Winner, owner Excel Home Health, promised to pay his employees by February 1.

After six years of providing care to elderly and handicapped residents, Winner shutdown his in-home health care business with no notice at the end of 2010.

Excel Home Health employees were showing up to the main office to get their paychecks, only to find a note from Winner letting them know the company was closed.

Since then, more than 200 employees have been wondering if they're going to get paid.

"I would like my check, please, please," said Valerie Byrd, who worked for Excel Home Health for six years.

Despite being patient, unfortunately the owner says it's just not going to happen. Winner says he is going back on his word.

"I made a promise to all my staff that I have some friends who came up to say to me they would help out to pay all my employees, but they paid back on their commitment and right now I'm in a jam," he said.

Winner says he has no money to pay any of his employees the money they worked for.

"I'm sorry to all my staff, I just can't come through as the company has no funds to do what it needs to do," he said.

Winner says his offices in Durham, Aberdeen, Laurinburg, and Montgomery County all struggled for months, and that's why he shutdown the business completely the end of 2010. He had hoped to pay his employees, but says he owes too much money in back taxes.

"We have no funds to do this," winner said. "I wish I had the money personally to this, but we don't have the funds to do this, the company owes more than $200,000 in taxes so where do we get the money to pay them."

Winner says he owes that much from a number of years of not paying them.

Whatever the reason, employees tell ABC11 that they are not happy with the news.

Many employees asked about whether or not they'll get their W-2 forms, winner says those have just been mailed out.

Winner he is putting a letter in the mail Wednesday to all of his employees letting them know he can't pay them and that he's sorry and wishes them well.