SUNNYVALE, Calif. — A field service technician for a California-based biomedical testing company recently filed a federal unpaid overtime lawsuit in California Northern District federal court accusing the company of misclassifying him as an overtime exempt employee.
According to the plaintiff’s attorney, courts have set a strong precedent holding individuals employed as field service technicians to be non-overtime exempt employees.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs worked for Cepheid, a biomedical testing company from Sunnyvale, Calif. that designs and manufactures molecular and systems testing equipment.
The plaintiff’s job duties included being tasked with travelling across several states on the East Coast to repair and maintain the equipment created by Cepheid.
The claim further alleges the company knew or should have known the plaintiff and others like him employed by the defendant performed duties inconsistent with the rules for classification as an overtime exempt employee.
The plaintiff’s attorney released a statement claiming Cepheid knew its employees were not overtime exempt and that they worked overtime hours due to the nature of their assignments.
FLSA Overtime Pay Requirements
The plaintiff claims he frequently worked overtime hours while employed by the defendant from October 2014 through June 2016. In addition to its failure to pay overtime, the defendant violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by not keeping an accurate record of all the hours worked by the plaintiff.
While federal labor laws do allow some employees to be salaried and therefore exempt from overtime pay no matter how many hours worked, employers cannot simply classify workers as overtime exempt. Employees must perform duties consistent with guidelines laid out by the FLSA and starting December 2016 cannot be paid less than $47,476.
The FLSA gives workers the power to file civil lawsuits against their employer to recover back wages and prevent future injustices from happening. Depending on the situation of the case, plaintiffs can recover between two and three years of unpaid wages as well as interest and penalties on this income.
Field Technician Overtime Pay Lawsuits
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.