Jackson v. Old EPT, LLC

Plaintiffs, hourly production employees, filed suit against their employer, EaglePicher, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. 201-219, and the Missouri Minimum Wage Law, Mo. Rev. Stat. 290.500-290.530. Plaintiffs seek payment for time spent on various tasks, including the donning and doffing of work clothing and protective gear, walking to and from production lines, and waiting in line to clock in and out for work. The district court granted summary judgment for EaglePicher. The court concluded that, the interim labor agreement here was an implied-in-fact contract between the employer and the union regulating employment conditions, wages, benefits, and grievances. It was made in good faith, without fraud or deceit. As such, it met the ordinary definitions of “bona fide” and “collective bargaining agreement.” The court also concluded that there is no genuine dispute that donning and doffing time was excluded from measured working time by “custom or practice” under the implied-in-fact agreement. Therefore, the court concluded that the district court correctly ruled that section 203(o) excluded that donning and doffing time from “hours worked” for which compensation was due, and the court affirmed the judgment. View "Jackson v. Old EPT, LLC" on Justia Law