UnityPoint Health is facing a proposed class and collective-action lawsuit alleging it underpaid hourly workers by rounding down their clocked time. Two employees filed the suit in late August 2026 in federal court in Iowa, though the claims center on Illinois workers rather than Iowa ones, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. UnityPoint Health is a large nonprofit health system — the corporate name is Iowa Health System — that runs hospitals and clinics across Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. If you were an hourly UnityPoint worker, this page explains what the case claims and what you can realistically do now.
Official resource:
- Read the U.S. Department of Labor's guide to your FLSA wage and overtime rights — Explains the federal minimum-wage and overtime rules at the center of the rounding claim and how hourly workers can file a wage complaint with the Wage and Hour Division.
Table of Contents
- What the lawsuit actually claims
- A note on the "Iowa employees" framing
- How the alleged shortfall adds up
- What the plaintiffs are asking for
- What you can and cannot do right now
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the lawsuit actually claims
The complaint says UnityPoint shorted hourly employees by rounding their real clock-in and clock-out times, which left small amounts of worked time unpaid. Plaintiffs Jennifer Randolph and Maggie McMahon brought the case against Iowa Health System, doing business as UnityPoint Health, under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, The Gazette reported. The suit points to the company's timekeeping software as the mechanism.
Over the past 10 years, it alleges, UnityPoint used Kronos software — later renamed UKG — configured to round off employees' actual punch times, per the Iowa Capital Dispatch. These are allegations. UnityPoint has not been found liable, and a court has not yet decided whether the case can proceed as a class or collective action.
A note on the "Iowa employees" framing
The headline framing is imprecise, and it is worth correcting before you assume you are covered. The suit was filed in the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Iowa because UnityPoint is headquartered there — but the claims focus on Illinois workers and allege violations of both federal and Illinois state labor law, the Iowa Capital Dispatch noted. In plain terms: the courthouse is in Iowa, but the workers at the center of the case are in Illinois. If you worked in Iowa or Wisconsin, watch how the class and collective groups are eventually defined before assuming the case includes you.
How the alleged shortfall adds up
Individually, the unpaid time is small. The suit cites a worker scheduled for 9 a.m. who clocked in at 8:53 a.m., with those seven minutes going unpaid, and describes similar losses when workers stayed up to seven minutes past a shift's end, The Gazette reported.
The claim is that scale turns small increments into real money. The lawsuit describes the aggregate unpaid wages as "substantial on a daily, weekly, and annual basis" because the employer has thousands of hourly workers. That scale is documented. UnityPoint operates 18 regional medical centers and 17 community-network hospitals across three states, employing roughly 29,000 people with annual revenue over $4.7 billion, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
What the plaintiffs are asking for
The plaintiffs want the court to certify the case so other hourly workers can join, then order UnityPoint to pay what they say is owed. They seek a judgment for all back wages, plus statutory damages and attorneys' fees, The Gazette reported.
One detail matters for how any recovery would be split: lead counsel is Nate Boulton of the Des Moines firm Hedberg & Boulton, a former Iowa state senator. That is who a current or former worker would contact for case-specific questions — not a settlement administrator, because there is no settlement.
What you can and cannot do right now
There is no settlement, no approved class, and no claim form. Anyone telling you to "file a claim" against UnityPoint today is ahead of the facts. What is realistic at this stage is limited but concrete: Because the deadlines and eligibility for a case like this depend on court rulings that have not happened yet, treat this as a filed complaint to monitor — not a compensation program to enroll in.
- Confirm the basics: you must have been an hourly (non-salaried) UnityPoint worker whose time was tracked by its Kronos/UKG system.
- Save your own records — pay stubs, punch records, or timesheets — since your actual clocked time versus paid time is the heart of the case.
- Note that FLSA collective actions are opt-in: you generally must affirmatively join, unlike a typical class action where you are included unless you opt out.
- Watch for how the Illinois-focused claims and any federal collective group are defined before assuming coverage in Iowa or Wisconsin.
- Direct case questions to plaintiffs' counsel, Hedberg & Boulton, rather than to any third party promising payouts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a settlement or claim form yet?
No. This is a newly filed complaint. No class has been certified, no settlement exists, and no claim form is available.
I worked for UnityPoint in Iowa — am I included?
Not automatically. The suit was filed in Iowa but focuses on Illinois workers and Illinois law. Watch how the class and federal collective groups are defined.
What is "time rounding"?
It is adjusting a worker's actual clock punches to set increments. The suit alleges UnityPoint's rounding consistently cut worked minutes, leaving them unpaid.
Who do I contact about the case?
Plaintiffs' lead counsel is Nate Boulton of Hedberg & Boulton in Des Moines. Avoid third parties promising quick payouts on a case with no settlement.