The last thing that an ordinary middle-class worker wants about his job in this tough economic situations is to get sacked. When there are too many potential employees in the market, it is just too difficult to find a new job in about a month or so. In really terrible cases, emergency funds dry up and still, a job isn't found. How depressing can that get?
How would you like to get underpaid, though? How would you like to not get paid for the time required for you to prepare for work? A number of employees in a meat processing plant in Milwaukee seems to be getting the same treatment, urging them to file a class lawsuit against the company.
A lawsuit has been filed in the federal courts of Milwaukee against Cargill Meat Solutions for the latter's alleged underpayment of its workers. The lawsuit seeks overtime pay, penalties, and attorney's fees. The amount asked in the suit was not revealed.
The complainants said that the company policies changed in April when Cargill decided to pay employees for the time they spend in the production area and not for the ten minutes required everyday to get ready and clean up after work.
The company then responded to say that it believes that it pays its workers well.
According to the Milwaukee-based Cross Law Firm, employers are taking a big gamble by making their employees work off the clock, because of the penalties that may incur when the workers decide to take a class action suit. In the end, the additional penalties can cost more than what companies could've paid as wages in the first place. Right now, a number of companies can still get away with it because of the falling job market in the city, which is one of the highest in the country, according to a report.
It's kind of disappointing that a these conditions do exist. This is just not the right way to treat your employees.
