Amazon Ordered to Pay Employees for Security Screening Time

A class-action lawsuit brought by three Amazon employees in Connecticut has been revived by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The workers claim that they were denied pay for time spent undergoing mandatory metal detection screenings at work.

The issue dates back to 2021, when the employees first filed a complaint against Amazon. They claimed that these security screenings took between 10 and 20 minutes per session, but the company did not compensate them for this time.

A lower court initially dismissed the case in 2023, citing a 2014 Supreme Court ruling that exempted employers from paying workers for 'preliminary' or 'postliminary' activities. However, on Monday, the Second Circuit ruled that Connecticut wage laws do not incorporate a de minimis exception to compensability.

The appellate court found that Amazon employees must be compensated for time spent in security screening lines at their workplaces, regardless of how brief the time may be. The ruling effectively negates Amazon's arguments and sends the case back to federal court in Connecticut.