Prison guards of CoreCivic Inc., a private prison operator, have just resolved claims of unpaid wages for $3.2 million. The class action lawsuit had claimed the affected employees went unpaid for the time spent clearing security checks before and after their shifts. More than 1,200 prison guards who worked for CoreCivic in California between 2012 and 2019 stand to benefit from the settlement.
The lawsuit had alleged that the company failed to pay its employees during the security process imposed by CoreCivic. Prison guards and other similarly situated employees claimed that they spent as much as 15 minutes to complete security checkpoints prior to the start of their shifts as well as additional 10 minutes post shift to navigate the clearance checks. Additionally, the employees established allegations of missed meal breaks or rest periods beyond quick trips to the restroom that should have been allowed under California labor laws since their shifts routinely lasted longer than 10 hours.
Unfortunately, there are many industries that impose mandatory security checks before and after shifts but fail to pay their employees for their time spent clearing them. Its important to consider that these times add up over months and years of employment. If you have a job title that is forced to spend time complying with similar security policies without pay, you may be owed significant wages. Feel free to call our employment law firm, Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP, for more information regarding your rights at (212)300-0375. We offer free phone consultations as well as helpful information accessible via our website.