Providence Catholic health care system to pay more than $200 million for unpaid wages

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn(RNS) — One of the largest Catholic health care systems in the U.S. will likely have to pay 33,000 of its Washington state employees more than $200 million after a Seattle jury found on April 18 that the system had illegally underpaid workers for years by rounding down their compensated hours and denying meal breaks that were nonetheless deducted from their time sheets.The verdict, the latest in a series of legal troubles for Providence Health & Services, is part of a broader pattern of Catholic hospitals being accused of undermining their mission by shortchanging patients and staff. 
Two lead plaintiffs, a certified nursing assistant and an ultrasound tech, filed the class-action suit in 2021 against Providence, which operates 51 hospitals throughout the western U.S.
The jury awarded Providence hourly employees in Washington about $98 million in damages, but King County Superior Court Judge Averil Rothrock, finding that the violations were willful, doubled the total, following state law, with interest.
Providence did not respond to multiple requests for comment by Religion News Service, but in an emailed statement to The Seattle Times and Fierce Healthcare, the health system indicated that it intends to appeal the decision.
Monsignor Robert Siler, the episcopal vicar and chancellor in the Diocese of Yakima, told RNS by email that the diocese was limiting its comments due to Providence’s appeal but said that “overall we believe Providence cares deeply for its employees” and noted that Providence’s employees benefit from “robust union representation.”
“Given the many challenges facing Catholic health care, we pray for a just outcome, and a continued focus by both labor and management on Providence’s mission to serve everyone, …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]