Ohio Shippers Seek Class Action Status in Overtime Pay Lawsuit

Columbus, OHA class-action lawsuit alleging failure to compensate workers with overtime pay has been filed in Columbus, Ohio against a major international shipper. The action alleges a dropping of the ball where it comes to overtime laws and overtime rules. Employees who might otherwise have qualified for overtime have been left wanting.

According to an account in the Transportation Business Journal posted July 12th 2009, nine former employees of CEVA Transport allege that the international shipper required its employees to work overtime, then refused to pay them for the extra hours.

According to a collective action filed June 17th in US District Court in Columbus, the employees were required to work 10, to 12 hour days each week—but were paid as if they never worked overtime at all, according to the legal representatives of the nine former employees seeking class action status in their action.

The lawsuit also alleges that CEVA failed to keep proper records pertaining to the number of hours worked by its employees. The alleged failure is in violation of federal law, according to the suit.

CEVA is described in the Transportation Business Journal as an international shipping management enterprise with thousands of employees spread out across the globe. In the US, CEVA is described as employing hundreds of individuals whose job is to dispatch and coordinate shipping activities for CEVA cargo.

It was reported in the Transportation Business Journal that the defendant has since closed its shipping hub in Ohio. However, the enterprise is described by the plaintiff's legal representatives as having large hubs throughout the US. It is possible, according to a spokesperson for the law firm, that CEVA's policy and activities with regard to overtime extends beyond Ohio into other parts of the country, potentially affecting thousands.

The spokesman speculated there could be dozens, if not hundreds of similarly-affect individuals interested in joining the action, which is seeking certification as a collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

In the meantime, the overtime pay issue remains a frustration not only for employees of CEVA, but for any employee of any company that allegedly flaunts overtime rules. Overtime laws exist to protect the employee and to ensure that fair work is greeted with a fair wage. In contrast, few employers would be in favor of accepting fewer hours in actual labor worked, than those hours that are duly claimed and paid for…