A class action lawsuit accuses staffing firm Johnson Service Group of allegedly not paying its workers the overtime they had earned.
In a lawsuit filed Oct. 24 in Chicago federal court, plaintiff Robin Cranfill said she was employed by JSG and claims the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not paying its employees proper overtime wages.
Cranfill claims she was hired by JSG as an hourly employee, regularly working more than 40 hours a week. Despite these overtime hours, JSG allegedly did not pay her premium overtime wages, the lawsuit claims.
Instead, JSG allegedly applied a uniform pay scheme, paying the same hourly rate for all hours worked, including those exceeding 40 in a workweek, according to the suit.
Cranfill claims JSG maintained records of the hours worked by employees, revealing consistent overtime hours and while JSG claimed to pay a base weekly "salary" to some employees, it did not establish a reasonable relationship between the salary and their actual earnings, which were substantially higher due to overtime work.
The lawsuit contends that JSG's actions violate the FLSA, as the company allegedly failed to pay premium overtime wages, resulting in a willful violation of labor laws.
Cranfill is seeking alleged unpaid back wages and liquidated damages, on her balls and on behalf of other JSG employees.
She is represented by attorneys Douglas M. Werman and Maureen A. Salas of Werman Salas in Chicago; Michael A. Josephson and Andrew W. Dunlap, of Josephson Dunlap in Houston; and Richard J. Burch of Bruckner Burch in Houston.