University of Rochester Settles a Wage Dispute for Nearly $9 Million

The University of Rochester has agreed to pay almost $9 million to employees who allege that the University violated wage laws by denying its employees payment for work done during their breaks. About 40,000 workers may be eligible to collect part of the settlement so that they will receive approximately $700.

The University of Rochester, in Rochester, NY and its affiliates have reached a settlement for almost $9 million with employees over claims that they were not always paid for time worked. The University of Rochester and its affiliates include Highland and Strong Memorial hospitals, Visiting Nurse Services and The Highlands at Brighton and Pittsford.

There are as many as 40,000 hourly employees who now might be eligible for up to $700 each, said Teri D’Agostino, University of Rochester spokeswoman.

The employees who are affected will receive a notice letter in the mail. This will allow them to apply for the settlement money and will detail the process. There is also going to be a Web site, made by the attorneys representing the workers. None of this can happen until the settlement is approved by the court.

The majority of the employees’ complaint is that they would work through part of, and sometimes all of their breaks and not get paid for the time worked. The University is not admitting any wrongdoing in the settlement, said D’Agostino. But UR officials agreed to the settlement because the class action case “would have been very time consuming and costly and strained our relations with employees,” she said.