Call center workers employed by Kaiser Foundation Hospitals have filed suit against the health care giant claiming that they have been cheated out of wages and overtime for “off-the-clock” work.
Sommers Schwartz filed the class action on behalf of a group of plaintiffs who are or were employed as “Telemedicine Specialists” and “Advice Nurses” to respond to telephone inquiries from patients. The employees work in brick-and-mortar call centers in San Diego, California and Atlanta, Georgia, or remotely from their homes in those states.
According to the lawsuit, regardless of the plaintiffs’ work locations, Kaiser required them to perform necessary, job-related activities before and after their daily shifts as well as during meal breaks. These off-the-clock tasks include:
- Starting up and logging into applications prior to clocking into Kaiser’s timekeeping system;
- Shutting down and logging back into applications during uncompensated meal periods;
- Shutting down and logging out of applications after clocking out of Kaiser’s timekeeping system; and
- Locating equipment prior to each shift and shredding and disposing of patient notes after each shift.
The plaintiffs allege Kaiser engages in other illegal pay practices as well, such as:
- Failing to compensate home-based workers for time spent driving to and from brick-and-mortar call center locations on days when they experience technical issues with Kaiser computers, or to pick up necessary equipment;
- Failing to pay workers for all time worked during periods when they experience technical disconnection issues;
- Failing to pay workers for time spent traveling to mandatory training and staff meetings;
- Failing to reimburse for necessary business expenditures incurred in the execution of their duties.
It is estimated that hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of similarly situated Kaiser employees have experienced the same forms of wage abuse.
The attorneys in Sommers Schwartz’s Employment Litigation Group are currently interviewing current and former Kaiser Foundation Hospital Telemedicine Specialists and Advice Nurses about their wage theft claims. If you have been a victim, you may be entitled to take part in the litigation and recover damages. Please contact us today!
Kevin J. Stoops
Kevin Stoops is an experienced trial attorney who appears frequently in Michigan state courts and federal courts across the United States, representing clients in complex business litigation. He has vast experience and a track record of successful outcomes high-dollar matters involving trade secret, business tort, intellectual property, executive employment, and class action claims.
