Employees Win Unpaid Overtime Class Action Lawsuit in Twin Cities

March 1st, 2013

We recently wrote about a settlement in a class-action lawsuit involving janitors working for a company responsible for cleaning Twin Cities Target stores reached a preliminary allegation of unpaid wages. Dozens of janitors working at Target stores in the area had sued Tamps-based Diversified Maintenance Systems claiming they were required to work as many as 80 hours per week and were not properly compensated.

The settlement in this cases calls for Diversified Maintenance Systems to pay $675,000 and to admit to no wrong-doing. The number of janitors in the upper Midwest that could benefit from the case is around 250.

Unpaid Overtime: A Nationwide Problem

Unpaid overtime wages is a problem nationwide. Those working in the field say it is systemic. Over the last 0 years, there have been at least five major federal lawsuits involving janitor workers at Target stores. Unfortunately, it is an area of business where employers attempt to take advantage of workers.

Under federal law, employers must pay covered, non-exempt employees overtime pay at a rate of not less than one and one-half times an employee’s regular rate of pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek. There are some exceptions to the 40 hours per week standard for police officers and firefighters employed by public agencies and to hospitals and nursing homes.

Some states also have their own overtime laws. Where an employer is subject to both state and federal overtime laws, their employees are entitled to the higher standard.

Those who feel they have been cheated out of wages owed to them should contact an employment law attorney to determine the best course of action.

Source: MPR News, “Target store janitors reach wage settlement,” Sasha Aslanian, February 15, 2013.