School Bus Company Settles Wage and Hour Lawsuit with Drivers for $1.6M

A school bus company – First Student, Inc. – has just agreed to settle a wage and hour class action lawsuit brought by its drivers based on alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). According to the lawsuit, the bus drivers were illegally denied pay they deserve for maintenance duties performed both before and after they drove their routes. The bus drivers asserted that they must be compensated for all time worked and denying them pay for this time violates federal labor law. Pursuant to the FLSA, workers must be paid for all time worked, and all non-exempt employees are entitled to be compensated at the rate of one and one-half times their standard rate of pay for all time worked in excess of 40 hours for any work week.

If you have and wage and hour questions or are concerned that you have not received all the pay you deserve, its important to consult with an experienced Atlanta wage and hour attorney right away. A knowledgeable FLSA attorney can review your situation and provide you critical advice concerning your next steps.

In this instance, the First Student drivers filed the class action lawsuit alleging numbers wage and hour violations. These included:

• Not compensating the workers for time spent donning and doffing safety equipment;
• Not compensating the drivers for off-the-clock time spent awaiting route assignments and keys; and
• Not compensating the workers for time spent inspecting the busses after they were done with their routes.

The case was settled out of court.

First Student is the largest school bus company in the country, and serves more than 1300 school districts.

For more information, or if you have any wage and hour questions, please contact the top Georgia employment discrimination lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate, confidential case evaluation.