In a legal showdown, CynaMed Inc., a prominent Pittsburgh-area medical staffing agency, finds itself at the center of a proposed class action lawsuit, accused of shortchanging patient care workers on overtime wages. Former nursing assistant Roni Sue Caimano, the whistleblower behind the legal challenge, claims that the company forced employees to log unpaid meal breaks, even when those breaks were unattainable.
CynaMed Hit with Meal Break Suit : Allegations Unveiled
In a complaint filed this Tuesday at the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Caimano asserted that CynaMed violated the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act. According to the allegations, patient care workers were denied rightful time-and-a-half overtime premiums for the additional work carried out during purportedly unpaid meal breaks.
Unwanted Interruptions and Bona Fide Grievances
Caimano, a certified nursing assistant at the William Penn Care Center, disclosed that CynaMed mandated the recording of a half-hour meal break each shift. Shockingly, this policy persisted, irrespective of whether employees could take a proper, uninterrupted break. Patient care workers, tethered to their duties during these so-called breaks, endured constant interruptions, contrary to the state’s wage law requirements for bona fide meal breaks.
CynaMed Hit with Meal Break Suit : Ignored Warnings and Unpaid Dues
Caimano alleges that despite workers registering complaints with CynaMed regarding the flawed policy, the company turned a blind eye. Consequently, she argues, CynaMed should have compensated employees for the time spent working during these contested breaks.
CynaMed Hit with Meal Break Suit : The Overtime Equation
Pointing to the fact that patient care workers already fulfilled 40 or more hours per week, Caimano contends that the work performed during these meal breaks should have been classified as overtime. In a week, she herself averaged between 40 to 60 hours of service in eight- to 10-hour shifts.
Legal Maneuvers: Staying State-Side
Caimano is adamant that the lawsuit should remain within state court jurisdiction rather than be escalated to federal court. Her argument is rooted in the exclusive involvement of state wage claims, a total amount in controversy less than $5 million, and a proposed class with fewer than 100 members, the majority residing in Pennsylvania.
CynaMed Hit with Meal Break Suit : Seeking Justice and Compensation
Represented by legal counsel Joshua P. Geist, William F. Goodrich, Michael A. Josephson, Andrew W. Dunlap, and Rex Burch, Caimano seeks to represent a class comprising all hourly CynaMed employees in Pennsylvania from the last three years who were subjected to the controversial meal break policy. The objective is not only to recover unpaid overtime wages but also to secure damages.
Company’s Silence
Despite attempts to seek comments from both parties, representatives for CynaMed remained silent as of Wednesday.
