Employees at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama LLC recently filed a proposed class action alleging that the company refuses to pay overtime for mandatory exercise/stretching routines. According to the lawsuit, reported by Law360 (subscription required), all employees at the company’s Montgomery plant must perform these exercises before beginning their shifts.
Approximately 2,500 production workers are required to attend a 15-minute production meeting then must engage in an exercise routine to prevent injuries – all before the punch in. The workers claim that although the pre-work stretching sessions and production meetings are paid for during the week at regular wages, they are excluded from Saturday hours in order to avoid overtime obligations, a violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
The employees further assert that Hyundai removes hours from its employees’ pay stubs once they reach 40 hours and that complaints made to human resources about lost wages have been ignored.
Hyundai’s alleged refusal to pay wages for Saturday meetings at its Montgomery plant has been occurring since at least 2012, and the workers estimate their unpaid compensation has totaled $500,000 per year since then. The proposed class is comprised of production employees who, beginning in 2011, have worked at the Montgomery plant and choose to opt in to the suit.
Sommers Schwartz’s Employment Litigation Group has handled a variety of wage and overtime violation actions under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and various state laws. If you suspect that you have been wrongfully denied compensation, please call us today for a free consultation to discuss your rights.