Detroit Medical Center failed to pay 13 employees for missed meal periods in contravention of federal law, the Labor Department found.
The department has since recovered $46,864 in back wages and damages to the 13 workers.
Detroit Medical Center, whose parent company VHS of Michigan is owned by Dallas-based Tenet Health, automatically deducted meal periods from the employees' paid time, failing to make adjustments when they worked during meal periods.
"This case should remind all employers to verify and validate [employees'] hours worked and to not rely solely on automated payroll systems," Timolin Mitchell, wage and hour district director, said in an April 11 statement.
Tenet Health employs more than 100,000 workers at approximately 600 locations nationwide, according to the release.
Detroit Medical Center had not responded to a request for comment by time of publication.