Many companies require employees to wear protective gear to work in a production area, but fail to pay employees for the time it take to put on and take off the gear. This additional work is common at food processing plants, chemical plants, and manufacturing facilities. And employees often have to perform these tasks at the beginning of the workday, during lunch or meal breaks, and the end of the workday. The Supreme Court has generally declared that an employer must pay for all time from the first donning through the last doffing, with the exception of meal breaks of 30 minutes or more. Getman, Sweeney & Dunn has successfully sued Butterball for its failure to pay production line employees for all the hours they work.

If you work in this industry and would like to speak with us about whether you were paid all wages you were owed, please send us the information needed by filling out the Industry Inquiry form.