West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging its timekeeping practices resulted in hourly employees being underpaid, according to court documents obtained by Becker’s.
Plaintiffs Jennifer Randolph, RN, who worked for UnityPoint for about 16 years, and Maggie McMahon, RN, who worked at the system’s Rock Island, Ill., location from June 2006 to March 2024, allege UnityPoint’s timekeeping system rounds employees’ clock-in and clock-out times in the health system’s favor. The lawsuit alleges the practice violates the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Illinois Minimum Wage Law and the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act.
The complaint further alleges the system rounds away time when employees clock in within seven minutes before a scheduled start or clock out within seven minutes after a scheduled end, and that the practice systematically underpays hourly workers.
The lawsuit was initially filed in federal court in Illinois. UnityPoint sought to dismiss the case or transfer it to the Southern District of Iowa, where a separate lawsuit involving nearly identical allegations has been pending since January. The parties agreed to the transfer, which an Illinois federal judge approved Aug. 18.
The judge said the two cases involve nearly identical facts and federal wage claims and that hearing them in the same court would avoid duplicative litigation. The Randolph and McMahon case is now proceeding in the Southern District of Iowa.
UnityPoint denied rounding employees’ actual hours and denied paying hourly workers based on rounded time rather than actual hours worked in its answer to the original Illinois complaint earlier this year, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported Aug. 26.
Asked about the transferred case, the system declined to comment on the allegations to Becker’s.
The plaintiffs are seeking collective and class certification, unpaid regular and overtime wages, liquidated and treble damages, statutory penalties, and attorneys’ fees and costs, according to the complaint.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
