Recently, the United States Supreme Court ruled that companies are not obliged to pay employees for the time they spend undergoing security checks at the end of their shifts.
The case presenting the issue of overtime pay involved the elite online marketplace Amazon.com and employees of a company in Nevada responsible for processing and shipping amazon purchases. Specifically, the employees of the Nevada company had sued the company for back wages and overtime pay. They claimed that they should have been compensated for time spent in security screenings. While the employees claimed that such screenings, designed to prevent against theft, took up to 30-minutes, Amazon maintained, that the screening process is designed to take 90-seconds per employee.
In a 9-0 vote, the Supreme Court determined that the employees could not claim compensation for time spent undergoing a 30-minute screening aimed at protecting against theft.
The High Court’s decision found that the screening process did not amount to a “principal activity” of the workers’ jobs under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Essentially, for a worker to claim compensation for the activity in question, the activity must an intrinsic indispensable element of the job. Because the court found that the screening process was not essential to the job of processing and shipping online orders, the court held that screening process is not subject to compensation.
If you suspect that you are not receiving fair pay for your hard work, you may be eligible for compensation, contact Steven M. Sack to review your legal rights and remedies. An experienced employment attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve.
