Two nurses are suing Danville, Ind.-based Hendricks Regional Health, alleging that the system has chronically underpaid hourly staff members for time spent preparing for their shifts, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported Aug. 8.
The lawsuit, filed Aug. 1, claims Hendricks Regional requires nurses and other hourly-paid employees who wear scrubs to come to work early, head to a locker room and change out of their street clothes before they punch in for their shifts. The nurses allege that the health system is violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and Indiana Wage Payment Status by not compensating employees for this time, which they contend adds up to tens of thousands of hours of unpaid time for the system's roughly 1,500 hourly employees.
The nurses, who no longer work at the system, are seeking payment of all unpaid wages, as well as damages under the Fair Labor Standards Act and attorney fees. The suit also seeks class-action status on behalf of other current and former employees.
Hendricks Regional Health told Becker's it does not comment on pending litigation.