The Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday that time spent by employees at an Amazon warehouse checking out through security after the end of their shift was not compensable work time. The decision is Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk, No 13-433.
The Court based its ruling on two main points: (1) it likened standing and waiting in the security checkout line to walking out of the workplace after the end of the shift; and, (2) if the time spent on the security checkout were eliminated, neither the employee's effectiveness nor productivity would be affected. These two factors distinguished the time spent waiting in the security checkout line from cases where the Court has held (1) that the time spent by workers in a chemical plant putting on protective clothing was compensable, because without the protective clothing the workers could not do their job safely, and, (2) the time spent sharpening knives by employees in a meat-processing plant was compensable because sharp knives made the butchers more effective.
There is additional coverage of the decision: Supreme Court Rules Against Worker Pay for Screenings in Amazon Warehouse Case in the New York Times; No Overtime Pay for After-Work Security Check at SCOTUSblog.
Robert L. Abell
www.RobertAbellLaw.com
