Janitors' Lost Pay Nets More Than $1 Million from UPS

Judge Amy St. Eve of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois approved the final portion of a settlement that had been brought against janitorial contractors who sub-contract for corporations such as U.P.S. a PRN press release said on Monday. More than 500 mostly Latino janitors, who clean offices and other facilities for the well known corporation, along with hotels and other properties in Illinois and Texas won a $1.25 million settlement in the latest of a growing number of lawsuits involving janitorial contractors. They were awarded the money because the employers failed to pay their employees according to federal overtime and minimum wage laws. In many cases the janitors were made to work more than 60 hours a week without receiving overtime pay.

According to the lawsuit filed for the workers with the assistance of the Service Employees International Union or (S.E.I.U.) the janitors were mis-classified as independent contractors. The janitors were also routinely stripped of money from their checks for health insurance that was of little or no value to the workers.

The janitors will receive varying amounts of compensation up to $50,000 from the settlement. The workers were employed by cleaning firms which then contracted with U.P.S. and other major corporations that provide services throughout Chicago, Dallas and San Antonio. Though U.P.S has denied that it employed the janitors as the plaintiffs alleged, it exercised control over the working conditions of the janitors and should be held accountable for the actions of the sub-contractors. UPS. will pay out more than $1.25 million as the result of the litigation.

In 2005, more than 2000 mostly Latino janitors in California, won a class action settlement of more than $22.4 million, one of the largest of its kind, involving the failure of janitorial sub-contractors failing to comply with federal employment laws. This suit was also initiated by the S.E.I.U. and said that workers involved were employed by sub-contractors of the national supermarket chains, Safeway, Vons, Albertsons and Ralphs. The janitors received around $10,000 each in that settlement.

The latest settlement is one of a growing trend of lawsuits over unlawful employment practices known as "wage and hour" laws. The practices involve major corporations and companies using subcontractors to avoid liability for unlawful practices. In some cases workers have been denied even receiving their final paycheck after termination of employment.

With more than 1.9 million members, the S.E.I.U. is the largest and fastest growing union in North America. It is also the largest property service union representing more than 250,000 security officers, janitors and other maintenance and custodial workers.

Sources used in this article are as follows: http://prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-17-2007/0004664390&EDATE=