Does Minacs Force Call Center Reps to Work Off the Clock Without Pay?

The plaintiffs and proposed class members – hourly call center representatives who handle telephone calls from Minacs customers in manufacturing, retail, banking, and healthcare industries – currently work or were previously employed in the company’s Farmington Hills, Michigan locations and other locations around the country.

They allege that their employer violates the federal Fair Labor Standards Act by requiring them to perform various job-related “off the clock” tasks, including:

• Pre-shift time spent booting up their computers, logging into required computer software networks and applications, and exchanging work-related e-mails and communications;
• Mid-shift time spent logging into required computer networks and software applications upon returning from lunch breaks, troubleshooting connectivity issues with Minacs computer and telephone systems, exchanging e-mails and communications, and taking rest periods of short duration; and
• Post-shift time spent shutting down computers and logging out of required computer networks and software applications

According to the complaint, the time necessary to complete these pre-shift and post-shift activities totals up to 30 minutes each day – time which the plaintiffs should be paid their regular wage or time-and-a-half for when the work exceeds 40 hours per week. The plaintiffs argue that Minacs failure to properly compensate them is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and that the company fired at least one employee in retaliation for filing a formal complaint regarding unpaid overtime wages with its human resources office.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division has specifically targeted illegal call center pay practices and wage theft by publishing a Fact Sheet describing the methods by which employers withhold compensation from workers.

Sommers Schwartz’s Employment Litigation Group is in the process of interviewing other Minacs employees regarding their experiences. If you were employed as a Minacs call center representative at any time in the past three years, please contact our attorneys today – you may be entitled to recover unpaid wages and overtime pay!