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March 2010

December 2009

Workers Keep Pressing for All of Their Wages

Though we haven't had time to keep up with them over the last few months, wage and hour cases remain a hot topic of discussion. Check out today's feature on Law.com: "Holidays Bring Out The Workers Suing Over Unpaid Wages."

Tis the season for overtime litigation, as new lawsuits, settlements and pro-employee rulings pile up under the tree.

In back-to-back rulings last week, federal judges gave early holiday gifts to class action plaintiffs who argue that getting ready for work should be compensated for.

In Minnesota, a federal judge on Dec. 17 denied a request by Qwest Communications International Inc. to decertify a class of more than 1,500 call center employees who allege that they have not been paid for time spent booting up and shutting down their computers. The day before, a federal judge in Arkansas granted class certification to a group of former Butterball employees who allege that the poultry company didn't pay them for time spent donning and doffing protective equipment and clothing.

On the new litigation front, security guards at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 16 filed a proposed class action in New York federal court, claiming that they have routinely and deliberately been shorted on overtime payments.

Our caseload has been keeping us too busy to blog. However, we've settled a few recently, and might be able to start squeezing out a little time to get caught up and publish all those draft posts we have queued up.


UPS Supply Chain Solutions to Pay $12.8 Million

Another misclassified independent contractor overtime case has settled for millions. UPS Supply Chain Solutions has agreed to pay $12.8 million to settle an overtime class action. U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton has given preliminary approval to the deal, involving approximately 660 workers in the two subclasses - one national, the other limited to California workers only. The case was mediated by retired Alameda County Superior Court judge Ronald Sabraw. The final fairness hearing will take place on March 15, 2010.