Nurses have filed a class action lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System claiming that they were not paid for training time and work they performed while supposedly on meal breaks the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, "Nurses File Lawsuit Against Mercy Health System." The nurses claim that they are allotted 30 minutes each shift for a meal break but either are unable to take a meal break or are compelled to work through much of it. They also claim that they were not paid for certain training time.
The suit appears similar to one filed last November against 2 Syracuse, New York area hospitals as reported in the Kentucky Employment Law Blog, "Interrupted Lunch Breaks Cited In Wage Class Actions."
Employers are not required to pay employees for their meal breaks. Employers are required to pay employees for the time they work. If an employee works through his or her lunch break, they are supposed to be paid. Also, if an employee's lunch break is interrupted by work duties, the employee must be paid according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
