Seattle, WA: A class action lawsuit has been filed charging that Premera Blue Cross has a common practice of misclassifying its technical support workers as exempt and failing to pay them for all overtime hours worked in violation of federal overtime pay laws. Premera, and its subsidiaries LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon and LifeWise Assurances, Co., who are also named in the lawsuit, employ hundreds of technical support workers nationwide.
"We technical support workers work long days, nights, and weekends to keep Premera's technology infrastructure up and running," stated plaintiff Jeff Sherrill. "We work through meals and sacrifice our time and health for the company. We just ask to be paid for the hours we have worked, according to what the law requires."
Premera's technical support workers, who work in titles such as System Administrator, System Engineer, IT Analyst, Software Test Engineer, Database Administrator, EDI Specialist, Information Security Administrator, Network Administrator, and Network Specialist, among others, are responsible for installing, maintaining, and/or supporting computer software and hardware. The lawsuit alleges that these workers were unlawfully denied overtime pay.
