Suit Claims Tenet Violated Labor Laws

Tenet Healthcare Corp. has been sued by a union that claims it understaffs its hospitals and violates California labor laws by failing to pay for work breaks.

Tenet spokesman Harry Anderson said the Santa Barbara-based company “absolutely rejects” the allegations. The United Nurses Assn. of California/Union of Health Care Professionals is in negotiations at two hospitals, and the suit appears to be “an attempt to try this in the courts,” he said.

The suit, which seeks class-action status on behalf of as many as 7,000 Tenet registered nurses in Southern California, asks the court for an order to force the hospital operator to provide adequate staff to allow employees to take lunches and breaks. It also seeks back wages and unspecified damages.

The union, a branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Tenet shares closed unchanged at $67.40 on the New York Stock Exchange.