Security contractor for Amazon fined $1.1M for shorting Seattle workers
Seattle WA October 22, 2023
Security guards at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters were not paid for all their time spent on the job, the U.S. Department of Labor found in a recent investigation.
The department said Friday it had recovered nearly $1.1 million in back wages and damages for 778 employees following an investigation into Universal Protection Services, a global firm Amazon and others contract with for security services.
The employer would automatically deduct 45 minutes from an employee’s hours but often required those workers to remain at their post for meal breaks, regulators said.
If an employee did stay at their post during a break, the employer would not adjust the worker’s hours, violating federal overtime and record-keeping laws, according to the department.
