Second Circuit revives Connecticut Amazon workers' claim for unpaid screening time
A federal appeals court has sent back to district court a lawsuit by three Connecticut Amazon employees who say mandatory metal-detector screenings cost them unpaid time each week.
Three Amazon warehouse employees from Connecticut sued the retailer in 2021, claiming that mandatory metal-detector screenings forced them to work 10 to 20 minutes without pay each shift. A district court threw out the case in 2023, relying on a 2014 Supreme Court precedent about preliminary activities. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals revisited the matter after the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that any time spent in required security screenings must be counted as hours worked and that the state’s wage laws contain no de minimis exemption.
In a seven-page order, the appellate panel vacated the district judge’s dismissal and sent the case back for further action. The judges on the panel were Joseph Bianco, Eunice Lee and Myrna Perez. Amazon declined to provide comment. The ruling applies only to workers in Connecticut, as federal law does not mandate compensation for such screening time elsewhere.
Why it matters
It could set a precedent for how employers compensate workers for mandatory security checks.
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