Press Release  AG's Office Secures Over $583,000 from Westwood-Based Security Company for Violating Workers' Rights

BOSTON — The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) today announced that it has reached a settlement with a Westwood-based security firm, Northeast Security, Inc. (NSI), and its President, John A. Hennessey, resolving allegations that the company violated state employment laws pertaining to wage payments and earned sick time. As part of the settlement, NSI has agreed to pay over $583,000, including restitution for more than 3,000 impacted workers and state penalties.  

The AGO found that in violation of the state’s Wage Act, NSI unlawfully deducted deposits for employee uniforms from workers’ paychecks without obtaining required waivers from the Department of Labor Standards (DLS). Under the Wage Act, employers must make timely wage payments within six or seven days after the end of a pay period and may not withhold wages unless required or permitted by law or authorized by the employee for their own benefit. While employers may apply for an annual waiver from DLS, in order to be permitted to deduct deposits for uniforms from their employees, the AGO found that NSI did not have any such waivers. 

The AGO also found that in violation of the Earned Sick Time Law, NSI incorrectly limited the amount of sick time employees could accrue by miscounting their accrued, unused earned sick time from the previous year against the 40 hours that the employees could potentially earn during the benefit year. As a result, certain workers received less sick time then they were entitled to and were wrongly denied sick leave. Additionally, the AGO found that NSI unlawfully limited the type of work shifts employees were allowed to use sick time for, wrongly denying sick leave for assigned shifts that were outside of employees’ regular schedule. 

Massachusetts’ Earned Sick Time Law provides workers the right to earn and use up to 40 hours of job-protected sick time per year and to carry over up to 40 hours of any unused earned sick time to a following benefit year.  

The AGO began investigating this matter upon receiving complaints from NSI employees.  

Many security workers who worked for Northeast Security from January 1, 2022, through July 10, 2024, are entitled to payments from this settlement agreement. The AGO’s Fair Labor Division (FLD) has the list of employees and amounts owed. Some employees have already received all restitution owed to them. Current employees will receive any further restitution payments due to them directly from NSI. Restitution checks will be sent to remaining affected employees on this list beginning in early 2026. Former employees who worked for Northeast Security at any point from January 1, 2022, through July 10, 2024, can send an email to fldsettlement@mass.gov with their name, current address, and a current utility bill showing proof of address. Please reference Northeast Security Settlement in the message. FLD will check our records and respond to each person over the coming months. 

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Kate Watkins and Supervising Investigator Lili Wu of the AGO’s Fair Labor Division, which is tasked with enforcing the state’s wage and hour, child labor, and other employment laws. 

The AGO is committed to protecting the rights of all workers, including immigrant workers, who are disproportionately subjected to illegal employment practices, such as wage theft and other harms. The AGO encourages workers and employers to review the AGO’s Advisory on the Rights of Immigrant Workers, which affirms that all workers, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to employment protections, including the right to a fair wage, protection from retaliation, classification as an employee, and freedom from sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. 

In accordance with state and federal law, the AGO works to serve and protect all workers, without regard to immigration status, does not ask about workers’ immigration status, and does not voluntarily provide workers’ personal information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Workers in Massachusetts who believe their workplace rights have been violated are encouraged to file a complaint with the AGO’s Fair Labor Division at mass.gov/ago/fld. For more information about the state’s employment laws, workers may call the AGO’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or visit mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for information available in multiple languages.   

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