On July 31, 2013, Riggan Law Firm, LLC, a St. Louis overtime law firm, filed a class/collective action lawsuit on behalf of its clients, a group of St. Louis County Park Rangers, to recover unpaid wages for time that the employees worked during automatically deducted meal periods. The plaintiffs assert claims for unpaid overtime wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Missouri Minimum Wage Law, as well as claims for unpaid straight time wages under Missouri common law.
The lawsuit alleges that the County suffered or permitted the Park Rangers to spend time working without pay. The suit alleges that by virtue of teh County's policy and practice, Park Rangers routinely worked shifts that lasted eight and one-half hours, but they were only compensated for eight hours per shift. While the remaining half-hour of each shift was theoretically reserved for employee meal periods, the Park Rangers allege that their job-related duties, responsibilities and restrictions routinely precluded them from taking an uninterruped meal period. According to the Park Rangers, the result was that they performed a significant amount of compensable work without pay, which is alleged to have violated both federal and Missouri law. The Park Rangers seek to recover unpaid wages, liquidated damages as provided for by federal and state law, attorneys' fees, and court costs.
To read a copy of the lawsuit, click here.
If you are an employee who has been deprived of wages or overtime pay, or if you want to learn more about your rights, you should contact a St. Louis overtime lawyer.
