US Bancorp’s Worker Health Plan Draws Suit Over Tobacco Penalty

A US Bancorp employee filed a proposed class action saying bank wrongly charges tobacco-using workers an extra $60 per month for health-care coverage without providing a valid way to avoid the charges.

US Bancorp prospectively waives these penalties for workers who complete a quit-smoking program, but it fails to offer retroactive reimbursement of penalties already paid, plaintiff David Mikesch said in a complaint filed Monday in the US District Court for the District of Minnesota. The bank also fails to properly publicize its quit-smoking program or explain to workers that notes from their doctors will be considered when assessing the ...