Wage and Hour Defense Blog

On March 10, 2023, a unanimous three-judge panel upheld an Oregon federal court’s ruling that time Amazon employees spent undergoing mandatory security screenings before and after work shifts and off-premises meal breaks was not compensable, as the screenings were not integral and indispensable to their jobs under state law.

In order to prevent employee theft, some employers require their employees to undergo security screenings before leaving the employers’ facilities. That is particularly so with employers involved in manufacturing and retail sales, who must be concerned with valuable merchandise being removed in bags, purses or jacket pockets.

Often in the context of high-stakes class actions and collective actions, parties have litigated whether time spent undergoing a security screening must be compensated under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). On December 9, 2014, a unanimous ...

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to resolve a split among the federal circuits regarding whether time spent in security screenings is compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as amended in 1947 by the Portal-to-Portal Act.  The outcome of the case, Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk, could have a significant economic impact on employers who require employees to submit to security searches before or after they begin their workday if employers are required to pay for the time employees spend doing so.

The case arises from claims filed by two former ...