Amazon is set to pay $13.5 million to its warehouse workers after a decade long battle alleging owed wage claims. A federal judge in Kentucky has just granted final approval of this settlement resolving claims that the e-commerce giant failed to pay its employees for time spent waiting to clear security checks. More than 42,000 hourly Amazon warehouse workers who worked for the company from October 22, 2007 until April3, 2020 stand to benefit from this payout.
Specifically, the lawsuit claimed that Amazon failed to compensate it warehouse employees when undergoing security checkpoints before and after their shifts started and ended. This class action went all the way to the Supreme Court and back with courts finding that the security screenings were integral and indispensable to their job duties and should be compensated.Settlements resolving unpaid security check waiting time is nothing new to Amazon. In 2020, they settled another similar suit for 200,000 warehouse employees for $11.1 million.
If you work in this industry and consistently spend time waiting to undergo security checks, make sure you are being compensated for your time. Your time is valuable, so don’t leave money on the table that you are entitled to receive. If you have any questions about your pay structure and what should be compensable, whether you are on or off-the-clock, call our employment law firm, Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP, for a free and confidential consultation. We can be reached at (212) 300-0375 to schedule an appointment or you can also visit our website for additional helpful information regarding your rights.