Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, WHD NEWS—DOL recovers $1.9M for 853 healthcare workers denied overtime pay, (Jan 6, 2025)
Organizations Mentioned:Care New England Health System | Kent County Memorial Hospital | Memorial Hospital, LLC
By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.
The employer also paid $100K in penalties for willful violations.
Recently the DOL announced that it reached an administrative settlement with an employer recovering $1.9 million in back wages and liquidated damages for 853 healthcare workers who, during the pandemic, had to work through their breaks but were allegedly not paid properly for those hours. WHD had found that Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick, Rhode Island, automatically deducted 30-minute breaks from hours employees worked even though staffing needs kept them from actually taking those breaks.
“The Wage and Hour Division is eager to return the $1.9 million in wages and liquidated damages we recovered to the workers who put their needs second and delivered essential care to the many people in Rhode Island who suffered during the pandemic,” said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman. “An administrative resolution like this allows affected workers to collect their hard-earned wages promptly.”
The division recovered $100,000 in civil money penalties from the employers given the willful nature of the alleged violations.
In fiscal year 2024, WHD concluded 2,376 investigations in healthcare industries, recovering more than $37 million in back wages for nearly 30,000 workers.
Companies: Kent County Memorial Hospital; Care New England Health System
News: AgencyNews WageHour Overtime WorkingTime Covid19 RemediesDamages