Our experienced overtime lawyers filed a Collective and Class Action Lawsuit against The SYGMA Network, Inc. (“SYGMA”) for failing to compensate its hourly warehouse employees for all overtime wages earned related to unpaid pre-shift work, post-shift work, and interrupted (or shortened) meal breaks.
SYGMA is a food service provider that operates throughout the United States where it employed Plaintiff and other hourly warehouse employees.
The Complaint alleges that SYGMA requires its warehouse employees to arrive at the facility prior to the scheduled start of their shift to don certain personal protective equipment (“PPE”), gather their equipment for the day, and engage in other pre-shift job duties.
The Complaint also alleges that SYGMA warehouse employees were required to clock out of work for a meal break and then, while off the clock, spent time walking back to their locker rooms to doff their PPE, walk to the break room to eat, and then walk back to the locker room to don their PPE. Further, the Complaint alleges their meal breaks were regularly interrupted by supervisors to engage in job duties while off the clock.
Lastly, the Complaint alleges that SYGMA warehouse employees were required to clock out of work at the end of their scheduled shift and then proceed to the locker room where they doffed their PPE; removed their wearable; and took their wearable, batteries, and printer back to the charging station before leaving the facility.
The FLSA requires an employer to pay employees for their work. While “activities which are preliminary to or post liminary to [the employee’s] principal activity or activities” is not compensable work, the principal activities themselves and the activities which are an “integral and indispensable part of the activities” are compensable. Further, if an employer requires its employees to take an unpaid meal break, then it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure 1) the employee is completely relieved from their job duties so they can solely eat a meal, and 2) the meal break is of a certain length, generally 30 minutes or more, unless there are special conditions.
The Complaint alleges these job duties were integral and indispensable to the warehouse employees’ primary job activities, and as such, they should have been compensated for the time spent performing their pre-shift and post-shift work. In addition, the Complaint alleges these warehouse employees did not receive a bona fide meal break because they were not completely relieved from their job duties.
The unpaid time often results in unpaid overtime which adds up over time. The FLSA sets forth the minimum compensation employees must be paid, and non-exempt hourly employees are entitled to receive full and proper compensation under the FLSA.
The lawsuit seeks unpaid overtime wages since October 1, 2018, liquidated damages in an amount equal to the unpaid overtime, attorney’s fees, and costs, among other things.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division (Columbus), and is titled Mudrich v. The SYGMA Network, Inc.; Case No. 2:21-cv-4932.
Additional information about the collective and class action for unpaid overtime wages against SYGMA may be found by contacting our office by calling 1-614-949-1181 or emailing mcoffman@mcoffmanlegal.com. If you have any questions about whether you are being properly paid for all of the compensable hours you work, then contact our office today to speak with our experienced overtime lawyers regarding any wage and hour issues.
