UnitedHealthcare must pay more than $1 million in back wages and penalties for failing to pay overtime to 479 Hartford employees, authorities said.
The U.S. Labor Department said Monday UnitedHealthcare incorrectly classified the workers as exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act and refused to pay them for all hours worked.Â
The managed care provider agreed to pay the workers $934,551 in back wages, plus pay $104,000 in penalties to the federal government, the labor agency said.
UnitedHealthcare’s Hartford operations supports the information technology, finance, actuarial and underwriting operations for UnitedHealth Group Inc., headquartered in Minnetonka, Minn.
Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said her agency conducted 90 employee interviews and reviewed time and payroll records for 21,000 employees in uncovering the alleged abuse.
Authorities say they also discovered UnitedHealthcare failed to keep proper time records on the disputed workers.
UnitedHealthcare officials did not immediately respond to phone calls for comment.
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