Nurses File Lawsuit Against SLO County Hospital

Eight nurses have filed a lawsuit against Twin Cities Community Hospital in San Luis Obispo County for rampant wage-and-hour violations, including wage theft and an across-the-board failure to provide breaks.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.

The nurses allege that the hospital failed to provide them with meal and rest breaks, and failed to pay them correctly. They also say the hospital required them to perform overtime work well after their 12-hour shifts were completed.

The lawsuit also alleges that Sheila McMillan, a supervisor at Twin Cities Community Hospital and a defendant in this lawsuit, told nurses to take breaks by “just walking away from their patients.” The nurses claim that by not having the hospital provide a “break nurse,” they would often return to discover their patient had fallen or not been taken care of.

“This lawsuit is about patient safety,” states the 17-page complaint.

According to the complaint, the hospital has consistently understaffed its Departments, and even though it has a “missed break log,” which nurses can sign to receive premium pay, there have been numerous times when Supervisor McMillan would “simply cross out entries that nurses had written in the ‘missed break log’ book.”

The complaint further states that Twin Cities Community Hospital has “failed to provide a regular schedule, and has instead created a system of ‘on call’ employment…depriving employees of a predictable schedule in violation of California Law.”

Multiple attempts to reach out to Tenet, the hospital’s owner, for comment have been unsuccessful.

To read the full complaint Click Here.