Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1479669
70 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Nurses sue staffing agency, allege they were made to choose pay cut or job loss By Kelly Gooch T hree nurses have filed a lawsuit alleging that staffing company Maxim Healthcare Services defrauded them through a "take- it-or-leave-it" strategy that forced them to accept less pay or lose their jobs, Law360 reported Aug. 1. Carolyn Miller, Teayl Miller and Jennifer Reents filed the class-action complaint July 29 in federal court in Maryland. e nurses, who said they accepted travel assignments through Columbia, Md.-based Maxim to work at healthcare facilities in Wisconsin, Nebraska and California, allege that aer they had executed Maxim's form travel assignment, the company demanded they take a pay cut or be terminated. In one instance, Maxim demanded Carolyn Miller accept an approximately 28 percent base hourly pay rate cut, from $125 to $90, to finish the previously agreed- upon assignment, the lawsuit said. "Maxim is offering contracts to travel nurses with a fixed-term assignment at an agreed-upon pay rate. Aer the nurse accepts the position and starts the assignment, Maxim makes a 'take-it-or- leave-it' demand to accept less pay or be terminated," the lawsuit said. "Of course, most nurses have no choice but continue working the assignment at the lower rate because they have no reasonable alternatives for comparable employment: they have already incurred travel expenses, secured short-term housing and uprooted their lives to accept the assignment." e nurses allege breach of contract and contend Maxim is "knowingly engaging in these 'bait-and-switch' practices to maintain the significant profit margins it had become accustomed to during the COVID-19 pandemic." ey also allege Maxim is violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by underpaying travel workers for overtime hours worked. In a statement shared with Becker's, Maxim said: "It is our general practice not to discuss pending legal matters. e organization has partnered with healthcare providers and professionals for more than three decades and has a well-established track record of supporting and connecting healthcare professionals to work that matters." e lawsuit seeks compensatory, consequential, general, nominal, statutory, and punitive or exemplary damages. n NFL offers clinical rotations for Black medical students By Cailey Gleeson F ourteen medical students from historically Black college and university medical schools will be working for the first time on the staffs of eight NFL teams this upcoming season, The Washington Post reported Aug. 10. The one-month clinical rotations will begin in September as the season kicks off. Students will work under the supervision of orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians and athletic trainers. The teams include the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, the Los Angeles Rams, LA Chargers, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders. n Texas man sentenced to prison for threats to physician who advocated for vaccine By Kelly Gooch A Texas man has been sentenced to prison for threatening a Maryland physician who had supported the COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Justice Department said Aug. 24. Scott Eli Harris, 52, of Aubrey, Texas, was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was sentenced after pleading guilty in February to threats transmitted by interstate communication. Mr. Harris' plea agreement and statements made in connection with the sentencing hearing indicate Mr. Harris sent a threatening message via cell phone to a Maryland physician who advocated for the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors said Mr. Harris' message contained statements including, "Never going to take your wonder drug. My 12 gauge promises I won't. … I can't wait for the shooting to start." The message also referenced the physician's Asian-American race and national origin. The physician's full name was not disclosed in the Justice Department's announcement. Becker's has reached out to Mr. Harris' attorney for a statement and will update the story if they respond. n