Koch Foods Agrees to Pay Unpaid Overtime Wages to Poultry Workers

Posted on May 31, 2007 by Charles Yezbak
A poultry plant in Mississippi agreed to pay 174 workers $326,971 after an investigation by the DOL. Koch Foods, the company that owns and operates the plant, did not pay its employees the required overtime premium (time and a half) for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The company also neglected to pay some employees drive time for transporting crews to work sites in violation of federal law. Lawsuits and Department of Labor enforcement actions aimed at illegal pay practices in the meat and poultry processing industries are quite common. Typically, these claims relate to the failure to pay for all hours worked by the employees.
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Arkansas Workers Sue Tyson for Overtime Violations

Posted on April 25, 2007 by Charles Yezbak

Employees from Tyson Foods, Inc. poultry processing plants in Arkansas filed a lawsuit against Tyson for overtime pay violations (Adams, et al. v. Tyson Foods, Inc., U.S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas). The lawsuit claims that Tyson violated the FLSA by failing to pay its employees for the time spent donning and doffing required gear and equipment, as well as time spent walking, waiting, and performing other job duties “off the clock.” Tyson is facing lawsuits throughout the U.S. for alleged FLSA overtime pay violations at its chicken processing and meat processing facilities. 

Tyson and others in the poultry and meat processing industries have longstanding differences with workers and the U.S. Department of Labor over industry pay practices.  These differences appeared to be finally resolved when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of workers in Alvarez v. IBP.  Still IBP (now Tyson) and other employers refuse to pay workers for time spent donning and doffing required gear and equipment.  According to the Department of Labor workers should be paid for this time. 

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