Nursing is one of the most demanding professions—long shifts, constant patient care, and little time for rest. But when hospitals or care facilities require nurses to work through unpaid meal breaks, it isn’t just exhausting—it’s illegal. If you’re being denied proper pay for your time, PLBH can help you document wage and hour violations and file a claim to recover your lost wages.
Understanding Wage and Hour Laws for Healthcare Workers
Federal and state labor laws require employers to compensate employees for all hours worked. This includes time spent performing job duties during meal breaks, even if you remain “on call.”
Under the law:
- Meal breaks must be uninterrupted and completely off-duty to be unpaid.
- If you respond to patient calls, monitor equipment, or complete charting, that time must be paid.
- Employers cannot pressure or coerce nurses into skipping breaks to meet staffing demands.
When these rules are ignored, hospitals and medical facilities can be held liable for wage theft and labor code violations.
Common Violations in the Nursing Field
Wage and hour violations are widespread in healthcare because of chronic understaffing and heavy workloads.
Common examples include:
- Automatic deductions for meal breaks you didn’t take
- Working through lunch while still being clocked out
- Being required to “volunteer” extra time to finish charting or patient care
- Retaliation for reporting payroll discrepancies
These practices may seem minor individually, but over time, they can amount to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unpaid wages.
How to Document Unpaid Breaks and Off-the-Clock Work
Strong documentation is essential to proving wage and hour violations. Even if your employer uses automated timekeeping systems, your personal records can make the difference.
Steps to protect your claim:
- Keep a written log of every missed or interrupted meal break.
- Note specific duties performed during those breaks (e.g., patient care, charting, emergency response).
- Save schedules and timesheets to compare against actual working hours.
- Preserve emails or messages from supervisors requesting you to work through breaks.
- Talk to coworkers who have experienced similar issues—they may serve as witnesses.
PLBH can analyze this evidence, identify violations, and prepare your claim to ensure you receive full compensation.
Filing a Wage and Hour Claim
Once you’ve documented the violations, you can pursue justice through one of several avenues:
- Filing a complaint with the Department of Labor (DOL) or your state labor agency
- Participating in a class-action lawsuit if multiple employees are affected
- Filing a private legal claim with the assistance of PLBH
Our legal team can determine the best approach based on the size of your claim, your employer’s history of violations, and whether retaliation has occurred.
Compensation You May Be Entitled To
If your claim is successful, you may recover:
- Back pay for all unpaid wages and overtime
- Interest and penalties for delayed payment
- Liquidated damages (doubling unpaid wages in some cases)
- Reimbursement for legal fees
- Protection against retaliation
PLBH will work to calculate your total losses accurately and ensure your employer is held accountable.
Protecting the Rights of Healthcare Professionals
Nurses give everything to their patients—and deserve to be compensated fairly for every minute worked. If you’ve been required to work through unpaid meal breaks or pressured into off-the-clock duties, contact PLBH at (800) 435-7542. Our team will fight to recover your wages and protect your rights in the workplace.