LOCAL
Seattle School District employees address wage theft issues
The following is from IUOE Local 609:
SEATTLE (Dec. 17, 2015) — Local 609 of the International Union of Operating Engineers has settled a drawn out series of wage theft cases on behalf of union members employed by the Seattle School District.
In July, Local 609 attained settlements of $11,000 on behalf of six members in the Nutrition Department for missed meal and rest breaks that their work schedules prevented on a daily basis. As part of the settlement, a whole new employee time-reporting system has been implemented at Seattle School’s Nutrition Program that will help address this issue of missed breaks and unpaid “extra time.” They also settled an issue where workers were required to take mandatory training off the clock.
This month, two settlements of just under $30,000 were also achieved on behalf of two longtime workers in the Facilities Department of the School District, who had been misclassified for nine years. This settlement was a lengthy and extremely difficult process.
“All employees deserve better treatment from employers, but especially public institutions who talk about ‘accountability’,” said IUOE 609 Business Manager David Westberg. “One of these employees has been here 43 years. These settlements constitute real and responsible accountability.”
The union continues to follow up on further similar examples of public employer wage theft via misclassification at Seattle Schools.
For more information about IUOE Local 609, visit the union’s website at www.iuoelocal609.org.
ALSO see:
Seattle School District employees fed up with unsafe kitchen (July 15, 2015)