In a stride toward justice for hourly wage workers in Washington, this week SGB attorneys Lindsay Halm and Adam Berger secured a win in the Washington State Court of Appeals on behalf of their client Rheannon Androckitis and the class she represents.

Androckitis brought a claim against Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC) in 2020 for the health system’s refusal to compensate hourly health care employees for missed breaktimes. The trial court later certified a class of up to 8,400 hourly workers to be eligible for retroactive pay rom VMMC for violating Washington law and sided with the plaintiffs on the grounds that the health system’s refusal to pay compensation for missed breaks was willful.

Following an appeal by Virginia Mason, the appellate court’s three-judge panel has now unanimously affirmed the lower court’s judgment, awarding the class over $3.3 million. In its decision, the panel noted that not only should workers be paid for the time they worked through their break, but that they should receive compensation for missing the break they were entitled to.

“This is a huge win for working Washingtonians everywhere,” said Lindsay Halm of SGB, who represented Androckitis and the plaintiff class. “Hourly wage workers have a legal right to breaks and rest, and when corporations like Virginia Mason try to undermine this right, they must face the consequences. We’re proud of our client for standing up to this injustice, and the Washington State Court of Appeals for affirming that breaktime has value under Washington law.”

Read the Washington Court of Appeals’ published opinion here, in addition to Law360’s coverage of the recent news.