The US Department of Labor (DOL) has reached an administrative settlement with Rhode Island’s second largest hospital and Care New England Health System to recover a total of $1.9 million in back wages and liquidated damages for 853 healthcare workers who had to work through their breaks but were not paid properly for those hours worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hartford District Office of the department’s Wage and Hour Division found Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick automatically deducted 30-minute breaks from hours employees worked even though staffing needs kept them from taking those breaks. The division found employees in the emergency room and other departments worked more than 40 hours in a workweek but weren’t properly compensated when they worked through their breaks.
The division recovered $100,000 in civil money penalties from the hospital and Care New England Health System given the willful nature of the violations. As part of the settlement, which spans from July 30, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2022, the hospital has agreed to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act and has made substantial changes in their timekeeping practices to prevent future violations of federal recordkeeping requirements.
