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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Wilkes-Barre General Hospital has been cited for forcing health care employees to work overtime, according to the labor union representing them.</p><p>This comes via a press release from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, or PASNAP.</p><p>PASNAP says for a period of two months at the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, the hospital forced nurses and other health workers to work mandatory overtime shifts. This is a violation of state Act 102, which makes such mandatory overtime illegal, the union says.</p><p>Theresa Elliott, deputy communications director for the state Department of Labor &amp; Industry, says the department has issued a citation to the hospital for overtime violations, adding that no more information could be disclosed.</p><p>PASNAP says forced overtime has become a recurring issue since Community Health Systems took over the hospital.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not right for us to be forced into overtime due to chronic nurse vacancies at the hospital,&#8221; said registered nurse Elaine Weale in the press release. &#8220;It&#8217;s not safe for the patients &#8212; you don&#8217;t want exhausted nurses trying to take care of you 17 hours into their shift, after they were supposed to have gone home five hours ago. Mistakes can happen and quality of care goes down. Our patients deserve better.&#8221;</p><p>According to PASNAP, nurses have been reporting that CHS has been understaffing the hospital, using mandatory overtime to fill in the gaps.</p><p>A representative from the hospital, though, says Wilkes-Barre General was not in the wrong.</p><p>&#8220;Contrary to PASNAP&#8217;s assertions, the matter is far from complete,&#8221; said Renita Fennick, the hospital&#8217;s spokesperson.</p><p>In fact, she says the hospital will be able to prove its compliance.</p><p>&#8220;We are working with the Department of Labor in their review of the union&#8217;s allegations &#8230; ,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We are confident the thorough documentation we provided proves the hospital&#8217;s compliance with the law regarding mandatory overtime.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

WB General Hospital cited by state for allegedly forcing overtime