An entrance to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, January 4, 2024.
Roman Battaglia/JPR
A class-action lawsuit filed in Jackson County alleges Asante underpaid employees since at least 2020 by rounding down work hours using a timekeeping software.
Juniper Arthurs, a nurse at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, filed the complaint. The suit seeks to represent about 6,000 workers.
The lawsuit also alleges Asante failed to calculate and pay required premiums when employees worked more than five consecutive shifts without time off or on consecutive weekends. Staff are entitled to time-and-a-half pay in those situations, according to the complaint.
The suit further alleges that the hospital has not paid staff for time worked through 30-minute lunches or 15-minute breaks.
A spokesperson for Asante said they do not comment on ongoing litigation.
The complaint seeks $500,000 in unpaid wages and $2 million in damages, plus interest.
Earlier this year, the Oregon Nurses Association said Asante Rogue Regional required staff to give up extra pay before volunteering to fill holes in the facility’s schedule. Asante called the claim “unfounded and inaccurate.”
The Oregon Health Authority is investigating multiple complaints alleging that Asante violated a state safe staffing law.
The hospital also faces nearly $500 million in lawsuits related to allegations that a nurse harmed dozens of patients by swapping pain medication with nonsterile tap water. According to the Rogue Valley Times, Asante has settled many of those suits as the nurse’s criminal trial approaches.
Recently, residents have protested Asante’s decision to close its birthing center in Ashland. The company plans to turn its Ashland Community Hospital into a satellite campus of Rogue Regional, limiting services.
Justin Higginbottom is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
