In back-to-back rulings last week, federal judges gave early holiday gifts to class action plaintiffs who argue that getting ready for work should be compensated for.
In Minnesota, a federal judge on Dec. 17 denied a request by Qwest Communications International Inc. to decertify a class of more than 1,500 call center employees who allege that they have not been paid for time spent booting up and shutting down their computers. The day before, a federal judge in Arkansas granted class certification to a group of former Butterball employees who allege that the poultry company didn’t pay them for time spent donning and doffing protective equipment and clothing.
