Mass. nurses say clerical work isn't paid for by hospital
A group of nurses in Massachusetts is suing a local hospital system over claims of inaccurately tracked time and attendance.
The nurses agree that they are fairly compensated for work done directly with patients, according to local news source MassLive. The nurses' overtime issue arises over paperwork. Because they have high patient loads, the nurses say they spend the entirety of their eight-hour shifts providing care and are left to fill out computerized forms off the clock.
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires payment of hourly employees regardless of whether they are performing primary or secondary tasks. Some very specific exemptions apply for nurses working overtime. But because the nurses filing the suit are compensated hourly, those exceptions aren't in play.
The suit, which names eight employees, may cover as many as 50 nurses who work for the hospital.
The hospital says that because the nurses record and submit all hours worked, they had the opportunity to be paid for their overtime. The hospital also stated that no grievances had been submitted by the nurses or their unions prior to the lawsuit being filed.
An effective method to track employees regardless of the type of duties performed is fingerprint time clocks, which require the physical presence of an employee to punch in and punch out for each shift.
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