Alleging overtime and recordkeeping violations, the US Department of Labor filed a complaint in federal court on May 14, 2024, after an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division found case managers employed by North Central Community Services Program and Affiliates community treatment program were working unrecorded overtime hours. Operating as North Central Health Care, the Wausau-based medical care partnership between Marathon, Lincoln, and Langlade counties offers a variety of public health services, such as community treatment services, mental healthcare, substance abuse treatment and youth crisis care. Investigators interviewed employees and examined pay records from June 17, 2021, through June 16, 2023, and found current and former case managers reported off-the-clock work, a heavy case load, and reluctance or refusal from management to approve the overtime necessary to complete their work. North Central Health Care established a policy requiring case managers to seek approval for overtime but, in practice, refused to approve overtime, in part, by refusing to answer phone calls from case managers seeking that approval. The company also allegedly failed to address case manager complaints about unreasonable workload, resulting in undocumented overtime as case managers struggled to meet productivity requirements. The complaint seeks back wages, liquidated damages, and an injunction against the employer from violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.
