NEW YORK — Members of a fashion crew who helped set up for the New York Fashion Week’s bi-annual events recently settled a federal unpaid overtime lawsuit with its producers, William Morris Endeavor and IMG.
The suit, filed in March 2015, alleges the lead plaintiff and over 80 others routinely worked more than 40 hours a week in the time leading up to the event but were not paid time and a half for those overtime hours.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs would work anywhere from 60 to 100 hours per week in the time leading up to the New York Fashion Week, held every year in February and September. Plaintiffs claim they would spend six-week every year committed to putting on the engagement, which can last from seven to nine days.
Employees were paid as high as $30 per hour. Tasks included supervising the delivery and storage of supplies, providing support to vendors and contractors, and setting up and breaking down barricades and furniture. Although the employees were given a bonus to compensate them for the long hours worked, the amount did not add up to the federally required one and a half times regular pay for time spent on the job above the overtime threshold.
82 plaintiffs will split their share of the $560,000 settlement which includes $110,000 for attorney’s fees, up to $10,000 in claims administrator’s fees, a $10,000 reserve fund and half of the employer’s payroll taxes. Sources call the settlement “significant relief” for the plaintiffs after a long legal battle to recover their unpaid overtime wages.
FLSA Overtime Pay Laws
Under the Fair Labor Standard Act, hourly employees must be paid one and a half times their regularly hourly pay for the time spent working above the overtime threshold. Employees are eligible to recover up to three years of back overtime wages if they can prove their employer knowingly violated the law and can even be compensated with damages equal to the back pay, attorney’s fees, and court costs.
Call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page if you feel that you and and other employees believe that your wage rights are being violated under the FLSA. Our top-rated team of unpaid wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action to help you seek justice.
Our office will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. Because strict time limitations apply for filing these types of claims, we advise you contact our experienced unpaid overtime wage attorneys at your earliest convenience and preserve your legal rights.