Air Cargo World | Aug 24, 2009 1:21PM EDT
A class-action lawsuit filed against UPS last week claims the delivery giant has been withholding as much as $100 million in overtime wages from account managers throughout the United States.
Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California by Sanford Wittels & Heisler, the lawsuit says UPS requires account managers to work up to 60 hours a week but claims these workers do not deserve to get overtime pay.
Laura Meza, a UPS account manager in Fullerton, Calif., brought the action that alleges violations of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act and California’s wage and hour laws. She aims to represent thousands of other UPS account managers, said a statement from the law firm.
According to Meza, UPS fails to pay its account managers overtime wages for work in excess of 40 hours a week and eight hours a day; fails to provide these workers with mandatory meal period and rest breaks, and fails to keep accurate records of the hours these employees work.
“When it comes to treating its workers fairly, UPS just doesn’t deliver,” said attorney Jeremy Heisler, of the law firm’s New York office.
A UPS spokesperson said, "We value the account manager role in our sales organization. There is a defined sales compensation structure and we believe these employees are classified as exempt."