While members of the Michigan Nurses Association are rejoicing over at least a 16 percent pay increase at two hospitals, the Illinois Nurses Association has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court alleging wage theft by St. Louis-based Ascension.
Nurses approved contracts with McLaren Central Hospital in Mt. Pleasant and MyMichigan Medical Center Alma.
The deals, which together cover about 250 nurses, were reached after nurses authorized strikes at both facilities.
However attorneys, working with members of the Illinois nurses, filed their class action lawsuit on Feb. 22, claiming Ascension has attempted to cut labor costs while at the same time increasing executive pay.
This has led to staffing problems at Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet (Ill.) and other Ascension hospitals nationwide.
“Ascension has had to resort to more complex forms of compensation in order to induce extra work at lower levels of staffing,” the lawsuit states. “But [Ascension] has unlawfully cut corners even here by failure to fully provide their employees the correct compensation.”
The plaintiffs, current or former Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet workers, brought the lawsuit on behalf of themselves and other similarly situated Ascension workers.
They allege they have experienced the health system’s failure to pay correct amounts, including incorrect wages, incorrect paid time off, incorrect disability benefits and incorrect wage payouts as part of a fully agreed-to settlement of a contract grievance.
The lawsuit alleges that because the payroll department is located in St. Louis, the workers in Joliet have been unable to have their complaints resolved in a timely manner.
Plaintiffs also allege that Ascension has been “unwilling or unable to fix their mistakes and accurately compensate these workers.”
The lawsuit asks Ascension to take responsibility for what it owes plaintiffs and other employees for their work.
IN GOD WE TRUST
Clever Journeys 
Same old sad narrative: cut Nurse’s salaries and benefits (not to mention overworking and understaffing them), so hospital executives can give themselves fat raises.
Sadly they couldn’t care less about the level of care the patients are receiving. Only how they can continue lining their own pockets as they claim to be not-for-profit facilities while committing Medicare fraud at every turn!
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Sounds like a math problem or just plain greed.
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Yes. It looks like the hospital crisis is what they have finally brought on themselves, and perhaps many more will have to be shut down before anybody wakes up. They have to face what they’ve been doing for decades, let alone recently. The aim has been profit, not healing, in so many instances.
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Amen sistah! Time to face the music. 🎶
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