No Extra Pay in Security Line Waits for You

[Jester]

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a victory to employers over worker compensation, ruling that companies do not have to pay employees for the time they spend undergoing security checks at the end of their shifts in a case involving an Amazon.com Inc warehousing contractor.
 
On a 9-0 vote, the court decided that employees of Integrity Staffing Solutions facilities in Nevada, where merchandise is processed and shipped, cannot claim compensation for the time they spend going through security screening - up to half an hour a day - aimed at protecting against theft."
 
http://news.yahoo.com/supreme-court-rules-no-worker-pay-security-screening-151514222--finance.html
 
Personally, I wished there was a time consideration instead of a blanket denial... why not a 2 hour wait?
 
 

 

[eolesen]

Yeah, I think this may be apples and oranges... This case involved something the employer is imposing.

TSA checks are a slightly different situation. Going thru airport security is integral to the job. You can't get on an airplane without doing it, and it's federally mandated.

Plus, if being paid for that time is in your contract, it's in your contract...

 

[FWAAA]

When all nine Supreme Court justices decide the same way, that's a pretty clear indication that they got it right. You can't claim the typical "political motivations" that accompany so many of the 5-4 opinions. Unanimous opinion is fairly unassailable.

I agree with eolesen: TSA checkpoints are integral to performing the job and airline employees are free to contract with their employer for pay during ground time spent in security lines, CBP screening upon international arrival or security checks to prevent tool theft among mechanics. The Amazon case merely holds that courts won't imply a duty to pay employees who didn't negotiate pay for that time in the first place.