The University of Washington Medical Center is once again mired in legal conflict after finding itself in a lawsuit – this time in regard to time clock rounding and second meal periods. The two employees who brought forward the suit are being represented by HKM Employment Attorneys and Stutheit Kalin LLC in their investigation of several hospitals across Washington and Oregon.
The plaintiffs, Sarah Parker and Shelley Roberts, allege that UWMC’s time clock rounding policy did not comply with Washington state law, leading non-exempt employees and Montlake registered nurse employees to be underpaid. They also claim that UWMC did not provide second meal periods to registered nurses who worked over 10 hours in a shift. Prior to the lawsuit against UWMC, Providence Health & Services, Swedish Health Services and Virginia Mason Medical Center were all ordered to pay back employees’ wages lost due to time clock and meal break violations.
Washington state’s Recordkeeping and Access to Payroll policy requires that rounding practices “go both ways.” It states that “A system where time is always rounded down is not appropriate. The rounding practice must work both ways so that sometimes it is rounded up and sometimes it is rounded down.” For example, if an employee is 7 minutes late to their shift or clocks out 7 minutes early, the employer is still required to pay them for the entirety of the hour. This is referred to as the “7-minute rule.” However, deviations in the 8 to 14 minute range require payment to start at the nearest quarter hour. Employers are also prohibited from using recordkeeping systems where 15-minute segments of work time are not recorded or paid. Furthermore, rounding policies may not be used for meal or rest periods.
This is not the first time UWMC has been accused of mistreating its employees. In 2020, cafeteria workers at UWMC spoke to The Seattle Times regarding less-than-favorable personal protective equipment and sanitation standards during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, UWMC went toe-to-toe with a Wisconsin nurses’ union regarding the nurses’ collective bargaining rights. In regard to this most recent class action, UWMC denies the allegations of wrongdoing but has agreed to settle for $20 million.
