Workers at a Midwest meat-packing plant scored a victory for hourly workers at the nation’s highest court today
The workers want meat company Tyson to pay them for the time it takes to put on and take off protective clothing required to do their jobs.
The Supreme Court ruled the employees could use statistical evidence about the process to prove their case, since Tyson failed to keep accurate working records.
Jennifer Zwagerman of Drake University’s Agricultural Law Center says this is a thorny issue for dangerous manufacturing jobs, like working in a meatpacking plant.
"You also see it in the agricultural sector, in term of some livestock operations…like hog barns where it’s shower-in-shower-out facilities," Zwagerman says.
This ruling preserves the right of plaintiffs to use statistical evidence in future class action lawsuits.