Murphy Anderson Announces Settlement of Wage and Hour Collective Action Brought by Class of Maryland Sanitation Workers

May 1, 2016

Murphy Anderson distributed checks to dozens of sanitation workers as part of the settlement of a wage-and-hour lawsuit approved by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

Murphy Anderson filed suit in 2015 on behalf of sanitation workers representing a class of similarly-situated employees alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"), Maryland wage-and-hour laws, and Montgomery County and Howard County living wage ordinances by their employer, a contractor of those counties.

The sanitation workers alleged that their employer deducted 30 minutes of pay from every sanitation worker per shift for meal breaks that they did not take. The sanitation workers also alleged that their employer paid them flat daily rates, regardless of whether those rates conformed to Montgomery County and Howard County living wage laws and Federal overtime laws.

The parties agreed to mediation overseen by a U.S. Magistrate Judge after the District Court granted our motion to certify a collective (opt-in) action. In total, the approximately 100 workers will receive nearly half a million dollars, plus attorneys' fees.

Murphy Anderson attorneys Mark Hanna and Michelle Banker were lead counsel. Murphy Anderson Fellows Lauren Hoff-Downing and Adam Breihan assisted.