Three waste collection firms have been named defendants in class action lawsuits over the past two years by employees citing wage and hour violations. All three of these complaints allege that employees were forced to work off the clock.

They also state that there were improper deductions for meal breaks and pay miscalculations that were in violation of overtime pay law.

The Case Against Waste Management Inc.

The most recent waste collection wage and hour violations class action lawsuit was filed in June 2018 by plaintiff Thomas H. of Pennsylvania. The proposed Class includes waste collection workers currently or formerly employed by the defendant on an hourly basis after June 22, 2014.

According to the complaint, Waste Management employees were expected to attend a mandatory daily meeting each morning. There were also many required activities, such as gathering tools, vehicle inspections and the collection of work orders and other paperwork related to their waste collection duties.

Many employees would choose to carry out these tasks  prior to the meeting, Thomas says. However, he claims they were prohibited from clocking in more than 15 minutes before the meeting. Thomas alleges they were not paid for those minutes, even if they were performing work-related duties. Employees notified supervisors as well as the General Manager of the situation, but Thomas alleges no action was taken.

Thomas further alleged that he and other employees were required to take an unpaid 30-minute lunch break each day. However, because of job demands, Thomas says he wound up working through his break an average of three times a week.

Nonetheless, the company allegedly deducted that time from his paycheck. The complaint states that employees worked up to three hours a week for which they were uncompensated. In addition, Waste Management Inc. allegedly failed to pay employees for overtime hours as required under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, thus allegedly violating federal overtime pay laws.

Other Class Actions Against Waste Collection Companies

In 2017, a class action lawsuit was filed in Florida against Waste Pro of Florida, Inc. and Delta Sanitation of Mississippi. The lead plaintiffs were three waste collection workers who said they were paid a flat per-diem rate. They claimed their pay was improperly reduced when they worked less than eight hours on a given day – even though their actual hours on the job allegedly exceeded 40 hours per week.

Another waste collection company, Republic Services, was sued by the Teamsters Union in Columbus, Ohio in March 2018 for allegedly violating state and federal overtime pay law.

Are You Owed Wages?

Waste collection companies and other employers who fail to adhere to FLSA standards can be held liable for back wages and punitive damages. If you believe your employer is in violation of overtime pay law or has forced you to work off the clock, you may be eligible to initiate or join a class action lawsuit investigation.

This Waste Collection Class Action Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-02649-CMR, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.