Juan Herrera, a former employee of an Illinois-based corporation, has filed a lawsuit against his ex-employer for allegedly failing to pay proper overtime wages. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on March 31, 2025, targeting MAT Holdings, Inc., an automotive and consumer products manufacturer.
The case centers around allegations that MAT Holdings violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by not incorporating shift differential pay into the regular rate of pay when calculating overtime wages. Juan Herrera, who worked as a Receiving Lead from December 2023 to February 2025 at the company's Romeoville facility, claims that he and other hourly employees were not compensated correctly for overtime hours. According to Herrera's complaint, "Defendant failed to incorporate shift differential pay and other remuneration into its hourly employees’ regular hourly rate calculation for overtime rates," which constitutes a violation of FLSA standards. This oversight led to employees being underpaid for their overtime work.
Herrera's legal action seeks to represent all similarly situated employees across multiple states where MAT Holdings operates. The plaintiff alleges that hundreds or even thousands of current and former employees were affected by this payroll practice. He argues that MAT Holdings maintained a centralized payroll system that consistently miscalculated overtime pay by excluding non-discretionary bonuses such as shift differentials from the regular rate of pay.
The lawsuit demands several forms of relief from the court. Herrera is seeking unpaid wages owed due to these alleged FLSA violations, along with liquidated damages equal to those unpaid wages. Additionally, he requests attorney’s fees, costs associated with bringing the lawsuit, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court. Furthermore, Herrera has requested that the court authorize notice to be sent out to all potential plaintiffs so they can opt into this collective action.
Representing Juan Herrera are attorneys Jesse L. Young and Kevin J. Stoops from Sommers Schwartz P.C., based in Michigan. The case has been assigned Case ID 1:25-cv-03403 in the Northern District of Illinois.