A group of 53 nurses filed claims against Templeton’s Twin Cities Community Hospital for allegedly violating California labor laws, according to a news release from the law firm Baltodano & Baltodano.

The claims were filed in private arbitration on Oct. 3 because of the confidentiality provisions in the nurses’ contracts with the hospital, said Lauren Teukolsky of Baltodano & Baltodano.

According to an earlier lawsuit filed on behalf of nine Twin Cities nurses in March 2015, the alleged understaffed hospital denied the nurses breaks and didn’t pay them adequately, requiring them to work off the clock to avoid overtime pay. Nurses who did take breaks returned to patients who had fallen or were neglected, the complaint claims.

Twin Cities, which is owned by Dallas-based health care giant Tenet Healthcare, will continue to defend the hospital against the pending action, the company said.

“Twin Cities Community Hospital staffs based on patient need and in accordance with state laws,” Tenet said in a statement to the Business Times. “We are committed to providing safe, high-quality care to every patient.”

Management has ignored multiple requests to remedy the situation, said Wendy Lamb, a nurse who has worked at Twin Cities since 2010.

“It is unfortunate that we had to take legal action for the hospital to take our patient safety and staffing concerns seriously,” Lamb said in a news release. “Proper staffing is essential to providing safe, quality care to our community and should never take a backseat to budgetary constraints. We deserve better. The community deserves better.”

• Contact Alex Kacik at akacik@pacbiztimes.com.