A nurse sued Houston-based CHI St. Luke's Health System, alleging hospital administration required nurses to work without pay during their meal breaks, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Leticia Salcedo, RN, who worked at South Pasadena-based St. Luke's Health Patients Medical Center from June 2015 to February 2016, filed a lawsuit in district court earlier this month, according to the report. Ms. Salcedo is seeking class-action status to represent nurses at 10 Houston-area CHI St. Luke's facilities, the report states.
According to the lawsuit, Ms. Salcedo alleged CHI St. Luke's deducts 30 minutes during nurses' shifts for meal breaks, but does not provide "bona fide meal periods" for nurses to take a break from patient care. Ms. Salcedo claimed nurses employed by the health system are required to carry cell phones with them for the duration of their shift and are obligated to respond when patients and hospital personnel call, according to the lawsuit.
Ms. Salcedo is seeking back wages for herself and on behalf of other nurses at the 10 facilities, according to the report.
Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to CHI St. Luke's Health System for comment and will update the article as more information becomes available. This article was also updated Aug. 22 to clarify that Ms. Salcedo was a former employee of CHI St. Luke's, not a former nurse.