Lehigh Valley Health Network settled a wages lawsuit for $192,500 with two dozen current and former employees of the organization’s hospital in Dickson City.

The lawsuit filed in September 2024 in federal court named Lehigh Valley Health Network Inc. and Lehigh Valley Hospital–Dickson City as defendants. Plaintiffs claimed LHVN violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law by improperly paying compensation and overtime and incentive pay, and failing to keep proper wage and hour records at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Dickson City.

The employees claimed the hospital made them work through lunches and then changed their accounting of hours worked, and also stiffed them on overtime and incentive pay.

Legal proceedings in the case resulted in settlement negotiations beginning in February, an agreement reached in May and finalized July 15. U.S. District Judge Joseph Saporito’s order approving the agreement said in part, “The settlement of this action represents a fair and reasonable resolution” of the dispute.

LVHN did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement, which also resulted in the dismissal of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit originated with 24 plaintiffs, who included former and current registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and other employees listed as administrative partners and patient-care partners. Key claims included:

• Hourly employees were allotted a 30-minute lunch break every shift and required to affirm whether they took a 30-minute uninterrupted lunch, but often had to work through lunch periods.

• Plaintiffs seldom, if ever, took an uninterrupted lunch, resulting in 2 to 2½ unpaid hours of work per week. When employees indicated they had not taken lunches, supervisors changed the answers to indicate they did take lunches. Supervisors also routinely pressured employees to indicate they did take lunch even when supervisors knew they did not.

• The employees also did not receive overtime pay of 2 to 2½ hours or more per week, because LVHN did not adjust accordingly for overtime.

Two of the 24 plaintiffs had not appeared for depositions and voluntarily withdrew from the case before the settlement was finalized.

Of the $192,500 settlement total, the remaining 22 plaintiffs received $126,306. Individual disbursements ranged from $507 to $14,072, or an average of $5,741. The plaintiffs’ attorney, the Hanchulak Law Offices of Scranton, received $66,194.

Monday Update

THEN: Two dozen employees of Lehigh Valley Health Network’s hospital in Dickson City sued in 2024 over claims of being shortchanged on pay and overtime.

NOW: Without any admission of wrongdoing, the health network in July settled the case for $192,500, which included $126,306 paid to 22 plaintiffs and $66,194 in legal fees paid to their attorney.