Houston TX security officer files lawsuit for back wages
Houston TX Sept 27 2017 A former employee of a Houston-based security firm alleged in a lawsuit that he was paid less than minimum wage to monitor access to oil field sites 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
Espirion Mendoza sued Guard 1 Services in federal court in Houston earlier this month on behalf of himself and hundreds of other gate guards who controlled traffic in and out of oil drilling locations in South Texas. The lawsuit alleged that Guard 1 Services required security guards to station themselves near gates in their own recreational vehicles, where they were summoned by buzzers when someone needed to enter or leave the oil fields at any time of the day or night.
Mendoza worked for the company between September 2014 and February 2016. He was paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour for the first 40 hours of each workweek and then received $10.88 per hour for an additional 35 hours each week, according to the lawsuit.
Traffic, however, comes and goes around the clock, so the guards essentially worked 168 hours a week, according to the lawsuit. Mendoza worked alone and never got to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, said Moulton.
David Moulton, the Houston lawyer representing Mendoza, estimated the actual pay worked out to about $4.99 an hour.
Guard 1 is confident that its employees are properly paid and will defend its pay practices, said Houston lawyer Jennifer Black, who is representing the company. She added that she could not discuss the details because the case is in litigation.
Moulton is seeking back wages, including minimum wage and overtime, for the time they spent monitoring the gates, according to the lawsuit. The suit is also seeking class action status.
