US Labor Department investigation helps Boise medical employer correct violations in its FMLA protocols

Employer: St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center

Sites: 390 E. Bannock, Boise, Idaho

Investigation findings: Investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found systemic violations in St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center’s administration of the Family and Medical Leave Act. As a result of the violations, the employer failed to ensure that all employees on FMLA-covered leave received all the protections due to them under the law. Violations included failing to maintain employees’ benefits while they were absent from their jobs during protected leave, and failing to ensure that employees, upon returning to work, were reinstated to job positions equivalent to those they held before going out on FMLA leave.   

Resolution: St. Luke’s cooperated fully during the investigation and immediately remedied the violations. The employer corrected all administrative errors, potentially affecting approximately 13,000 employees throughout the state.

Quote: “This resolution provides piece of mind for employees of St. Luke’s and their families who rely upon the FMLA’s critical workplace flexibility and protections,” said Thomas Silva, district director for the Wage and Hour Division in Portland. “We are very pleased that this employer took immediate action to ensure that employees receive all the benefits they are entitled to under the FMLA. Workers should never have to choose between their jobs and their health.”

Information: The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.

For more information about federal wage laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information also is available at http://www.dol.gov/whd/.