Sandra Martinez Camarena has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, alleging significant violations of labor laws that could impact numerous employees. On December 26, 2024, Sandra Martinez Camarena initiated legal proceedings in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against K.L.E.O. Community Family Life Center. The complaint accuses the organization of failing to pay overtime wages as required by both federal and state laws.
According to the court documents, Camarena claims that K.L.E.O. Community Family Life Center did not compensate her and other similarly situated employees for overtime work at the legally mandated rate of one and one-half times their regular pay. This alleged violation spans multiple weeks over the past three years when employees worked more than forty hours per week but were only paid their standard hourly wage for all hours worked. The plaintiff is pursuing this case under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Illinois Minimum Wage Law (IMWL), arguing that these actions are in direct contravention of established labor regulations.
Camarena's lawsuit is structured as both a collective action under FLSA and a class action under IMWL, seeking to represent all affected current and former hourly employees who worked at K.L.E.O.'s migrant shelter located at Chicago’s Uptown’s American Islamic College campus. The shelter, which has been operational since May 2024, accommodates nearly 1,000 asylum seekers and relies heavily on government contracts for funding. Despite this setup, K.L.E.O. allegedly misclassified its workers as independent contractors rather than employees, denying them rightful benefits such as overtime pay.
The plaintiff's complaint highlights several critical issues: workers were not allowed to hire subcontractors or make any capital investments; they had no business management responsibilities; and they were economically dependent on K.L.E.O., suggesting an employee-employer relationship rather than an independent contractor arrangement. Furthermore, it is claimed that these workers were essential to K.L.E.O.'s operations yet received none of the legal protections due to them under employment law.
Camarena seeks various forms of relief from the court including back payment of owed overtime wages, liquidated damages equal to unpaid wages, treble damages under state law provisions, statutory penalties for delayed payments, and coverage of attorney fees and litigation costs. She argues that these remedies are necessary not only for herself but also for all similarly affected employees who have been deprived of fair compensation due to K.L.E.O.'s practices.
Representing Sandra Martinez Camarena in this case are attorneys Douglas M. Werman, Maureen A. Salas, and Sarah J. Arendt from Werman Salas P.C., based in Chicago. The case is filed under Case ID 1:24-cv-13225 with a jury demand included in the filing.