Wisconsin nurses win $3.5 million in back pay
Nearly 1,400 nurses have been awarded $3.5 million in back pay by a federal court in Wisconsin. The group of nurses filed a suit against SSM Health Care of Wisconsin Inc., alleging the hospital forced the nurses to take unpaid 30-minute breaks when they worked more than 5.5 hours on a given workday.
The hospital automatically removed 30 minutes from nurses' time and attendance each day - the time was deducted even though nurses were denied 30-minute lunch breaks each day, which is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The lead plaintiff also claimed that hospital officials forbade her from leaving the premises during breaks, during which she was often interrupted by staff and doctors. She was also forced to carry a pager and respond to any pages while on break.
As a result, the plaintiff and 1,400 other nurses filed a lawsuit against the hospital, seeking back pay, damages and payments for court fees. The hospital denied the claims but settled with the nurses out of court, agreeing to pay the current and former employees a total of $3.5 million.
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