Amazon.Com Not so Prime

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case from former Amazon.com warehouse employees. The suit alleges that under the Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA), Amazon.com must compensate their warehouse employees for the time spent waiting for a security check at the end of their shifts.

As part of an anti-theft procedure, Amazon employees from Nevada had to wait at the end of their shifts to pass through a security check before being able to leave the premises. These checks took up to thirty minutes a day and were uncompensated. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that suit could move forward in April 2013.

Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc., the third-party staffing company involved in the Nevada case, is being represented by former U.S. solicitor general Paul Clement. Clement argues that time spent waiting for security checks is comparable to other post-work duties that are not compensated for, such as walking to one’s car in the parking lot or waiting to clock out.

If heard by the Supreme Court and ruled like the 9th Circuit, this case could invite a wave of other related cases.