The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a complaint against North Central Community Services Program and Affiliates, operating as North Central Health Care in Wausau, Wisconsin. The complaint alleges overtime and recordkeeping violations and was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on May 14, 2024.
The action follows an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division that discovered case managers working unrecorded overtime hours for the community treatment program. North Central Health Care is a medical care partnership between Marathon, Lincoln, and Langlade counties that provides various public health services including community treatment services, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and youth crisis care.
Investigators interviewed employees and scrutinized pay records from June 17, 2021, through June 16, 2023. They found that current and former case managers reported off-the-clock work due to heavy caseloads and management's reluctance or refusal to approve necessary overtime.
Despite having a policy requiring case managers to seek approval for overtime, North Central Health Care reportedly refused to approve it by not responding to phone calls from case managers seeking approval. The company also allegedly failed to address complaints about unreasonable workload which resulted in undocumented overtime as case managers struggled to meet productivity requirements.
The complaint seeks back wages, liquidated damages and an injunction preventing the employer from violating the Fair Labor Standards Act.
“These case managers continued to go above and beyond to service the needs of their clients while their employer refused to hear their complaints and pay them the wages they rightfully earned for their hard work and dedication,” said Wage and Hour District Director Kristin Tout in Minneapolis. “Employers are legally responsible for knowing and complying with federal wage laws.”
In fiscal year 2023 alone, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $31.8 million in back wages for workers in the healthcare industry nationwide.
For more information about the Wage and Hour Division, or to use a search tool if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division, visit their website. Confidential compliance assistance is available for employees and employers by calling the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).
The case is United States Department of Labor v. North Central Community Services Program and Affiliates operating as North Central Health Care, Civil Action No. 3:24-cv-00320-wmc.
