Employer required workers to complete necessary paperwork without pay, manipulated time cards
A Las Vegas hospital has been fined $19,090 in penalties for its willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division noted that Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center – a subsidiary of Universal Health Services Inc. – required workers to complete necessary paperwork without pay after their daily shifts ended and manipulated employee time cards to avoid paying overtime.
The division recovered $145,402 in back wages for 23 employees.
“Workers must be paid all of their hard-earned wages. Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center shortchanged their workers and made it more difficult for them to provide for themselves and their families,” said Higinio Ramos, district director of Wage and Hour Division in Las Vegas.
“The employer also gained an unfair competitive advantage over law-abiding employers. Other employers should use the outcome of this investigation as an opportunity to evaluate their own pay practices to ensure they comply with the law.”
Universal Health Services Inc. – one of the nation’s largest healthcare management companies – owns and operates Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center. Based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, UHS manages 400 acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and ambulatory centers across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.K.
