Boston hospital group settles overtime lawsuit

BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and three other affiliated hospitals have agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by employees who said they weren't paid all the money they had earned.

The employees alleged that CareGroup Healthcare System Inc. facilities did not pay them for working through lunch breaks and past the end of their scheduled shifts.

If approved by a judge, the settlement could cover as many as 9,000 current and former workers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Needham, Mount Auburn Hospital and New England Baptist Hospital.

Officials with a union attempting to organize CareGroup workers called the settlement a "tremendous victory."

CareGroup officials say they hope the settlement can let them focus on patient care.