Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a settlement agreement that resolves an investigation by the Attorney General’s office and the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) into a medical staffing company’s practice of deducting “booking fees” when workers missed shifts. Under the settlement, GrapeTree Medical Staffing, LLC (GrapeTree), agrees to pay approximately $950,000 in back wages and interest to around 3,000 current and former employees in Illinois. GrapeTree is a medical staffing company that provides healthcare professionals to work in long-term care and assisted living facilities in 12 states. Employees manage their own schedules by signing up for shifts through an online system. Raoul’s office and the IDOL found that GrapeTree charged employees a fee in the form of a payroll deduction if they did not show up for a shift or canceled a shift within 72 hours. The fees deducted ranged in size from $50 to $200. Under the settlement, GrapeTree agreed to end the practice in Illinois and pay Illinois employees all fees they are owed, with interest.
