Rejecting a plumbing foreman’s claim that he was entitled to compensation for his time spent commuting to and from work, which was alleged to be two hours each day, the Connecticut Supreme Court has declined to accord deference to the Connecticut Department of Labor’s interpretation of travel time, which is less favorable to employers. Sarrazin v. Coastal, 311 Conn. 581 (2014).
As a general rule, an employee’s time spent on activities that are prior and subsequent to his or her principal work activity, such as commuting to and from work, is not working time that must be compensated by an employer. The plaintiff-employee, however, argued he was entitled to payment for his commute because it was undertaken predominantly for the benefit of his employer as he was required to travel directly to and from the job sites in the defendant’s company vehicle while carrying tools and equipment for the job.
