Field Technician Sues Utiliquest For Unpaid Wages

A field technician recently filed a class action lawsuit against Utiliquest, a locating services provider in eighteen states including the District of Columbia. Utiliquest’s headquarters is in Georgia. In performing utility services, field technicians drove company vehicles from their homes to work sites each day. The Technician claims that he and many other employees were not paid for their travel time in vehicles owned by Utiliquest. Because the workers remained in Utiliquest’s strict control for this travel time, the field technician claims that he and other workers were denied their rightful minimum wage and overtime wage payments for this portion of their workday. 

Other Violations Claimed Against Utiliquest

The main field technician of the lawsuit claims that his employer owes him wages for roughly 10 hours per week. Additionally, he alleges that his employer unlawfully subtracted work time for meal and rest breaks when in reality workers were never permitted to take such breaks. If an employee works through his or her breaks, then wages must still be paid for this time. Therefore, this technician’s wage statements did not list the correct number of hours he worked. Another violation he alleges against Utiliquest is that employees were not properly reimbursed for business expenses related to their work. For example, employees paid for maintenance and cleaning services on company-owned vehicles. If the court finds these allegations true, then these employees will be awarded their rightfully earned wages and properly reimbursed for business expenses. 

Field Technicians Often Denied Overtime Wages

Utiliquest is not the only employer that has been accused of denying its field technicians overtime wages. An eligible employee should earn an overtime rate of time and a half their usual hourly rate for any hours worked over 40 in a given workweek. Hours worked may include travel time depending on your situation. Even if you agreed to not be paid overtime wages at some point, your employer is legally required to pay overtime under the Fair Labor Standard Act. Your employer cannot make a “special deal” with you to not pay overtime. If you are not sure whether your employer owes you overtime wages, you should speak to an experienced employment attorney. In the meantime, you should keep track of all hours worked and any hours worked in excess of 40 for which you are not paid overtime. With detailed records, an employment attorney can assist you to file a legal claim to recover your rightfully earned wages. 

Seek Legal Assistance Today

If you have not been paid your rightfully earned minimum or overtime wages, seek legal assistance today. The Working Solutions Law Firm, located in New York City, can assist you. Contact us today at (646) 430-7930 to schedule a free case evaluation and receive experienced legal counsel.