Purse Pirates: Lawsuit alleges UPS defrauded seasonal workers with unfair pay practices

Above Stole millions of dollars in wages from seasonal workers who help the shipping company deliver packages during the busy holiday season, forcing some to work even after their shifts had started and deducting pay for lunch breaks they never took. new york Attorney General letitia james The charges were filed in a lawsuit Monday.

Filed in state court in manhattanThe lawsuit accuses UPS of failing to fairly compensate driver assistants who “repeatedly and consistently” assist in deliveries and seasonal assistance drivers who use their own vehicles to make deliveries. james It is estimated that over the past six years, UPS has deprived thousands of seasonal workers of nearly $45 million in wages.

The lawsuit demands back wages and penalties, as well as a court order requiring UPS to shut down around-the-clock work and change its timekeeping and payroll practices. The company, known for its brown trucks and uniforms, delivered an average of 22.4 million packages a day and generated $91.1 billion in revenue last year, according to its website.

“We don’t often think about these workers when we’re opening our gifts for the holidays,” James said at a press conference announcing the lawsuit. “And these individuals are struggling every day to make ends meet.”

In a statement, Georgia-based UPS said it was aware of the lawsuit, “takes all allegations of wrongdoing seriously and denies baseless allegations of knowingly underpaying UPS employees.”

“We provide industry-leading wages and benefits to our more than 26,000 employees in New York, and we are committed to following all applicable laws,” the statement said.

James, a Democrat, said he began investigating UPS in 2023 when an employee union, Teamsters Local 804, raised concerns about the company’s treatment of seasonal workers. Those workers are employed on a temporary basis from October to January.

Josh Pomeranz, the union’s director of operations, said that although there is no evidence that the company’s top management was involved in the alleged wage theft, or knew about it or was ignoring it, “these are just some of the practices you have to actively ignore, not watch it happen.”