Attorney General Schwalb Secures $400,000 from Staffing Company That Denied Paid Sick Leave to Hundreds of DC Workers

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that First Impression Staffing, LLC, a front desk staffing company, will pay $400,000 to harmed workers and the District to address allegations that the company deprived hundreds of DC workers of paid sick and safe leave. Under the terms of a settlement agreement resolving an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), First Impression Staffing will compensate former workers who never received the sick leave they should have accrued, provide retroactive sick leave to current employees, and pay penalties to the District.

“We will not allow companies to illegally boost profits and undercut their law-abiding competitors by cheating their workers out of legally-required paid sick and safe leave,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “DC law provides these critical protections to almost all workers in DC, and I encourage anyone who is not receiving paid sick leave to reach out to my office.”

First Impression Staffing is a large Maryland-based company that provides concierge and receptionist staff at buildings throughout the District and across multiple states. An investigation by OAG uncovered evidence that First Impression Staffing violated DC labor laws by:

• Denying workers paid sick leave. Under DC law, employers must provide employees with paid sick and safe leave, which they accrue based on the number of hours they work. Large employers like First Impression Staffing (those with 100 or more employees) must provide workers with one hour of paid leave for every 37 hours worked, up to 7 days per year. OAG alleges that from 2022 through June 30, 2025, First Impression Staffing failed to provide over 600 DC workers with the paid sick leave they earned.
   
• Failing to provide workers with written notice of their rate of pay as required under DC law. OAG’s investigation revealed that First Impression Staffing also failed to provide written notice of wages to new employees as required by DC law.

Under the terms of a settlement agreement to resolve OAG’s allegations, First Impression Staffing will:

• Pay $250,927 to harmed workers. Over 400 former employees who were deprived of paid sick leave will receive compensation.
   
• Pay $149,072 to the District in civil penalties.
   
• Provide retroactive sick leave to current employees. Current employees will receive credits of 7 days of paid sick leave for each year of the past three calendar years that the employee worked at First Impression Staffing.
   
• Change its practices to ensure compliance with DC law moving forward and report on compliance to OAG. The company must notify all current workers of their right to paid sick and safe leave, must maintain accurate records of sick leave accrued and taken by employees, and must not discriminate or retaliate against workers for using paid sick leave. Six months after the date of the agreement, First Impression Staffing must submit to an audit by OAG of its sick and safe leave policies and records.

A copy of the settlement is available here.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Kara Mahoney and Eric Anthony, Investigator Kenithia Alston, former Investigator Shelby Miller, Assistant Section Chief Dennis Corkery, and Section Chief Graham Lake.

OAG’s Efforts to Protect Workers  

OAG’s Workers’ Rights and Antifraud Section is dedicated to fighting wage theft, protecting District workers, and ensuring that businesses in the District compete on a level playing field. Since AG Schwalb became the District’s elected, independent Attorney General in January 2023, OAG has secured more than $20 million for workers and the District. In total, since gaining independent wage theft enforcement authority in 2015, OAG has secured over $35 million by investigating and bringing enforcement actions against employers who violate District law. OAG’s wage theft enforcement efforts have focused on industries with high populations of vulnerable workers, such as construction, restaurants and hospitality, healthcare, and the gig economy.

How to Report Wage and Hour Violations

Workers who believe that their rights have been violated, or that they have experienced wage theft or other wage and hour violations, can contact OAG by calling (202) 724-7730 or by emailing workers@dc.gov or trabajadores@dc.gov.