Misclassified Truck Drivers Receive $2.2 million in Back Pay

A recent class action lawsuit has resulted in a $2.2 million verdict to be paid to a small group of truck drivers for unpaid wages due to being misclassified as independent contractors. The truck drivers’ rights attorneys in this case were able to successfully prove that the drivers were in fact employees, and entitled to the same rights as employees. This large award will be split among the seven drivers that joined the lawsuit.

New York employee rights attorneys expect that this ruling will have a sweeping impact on shipping companies throughout the country. It has become the practice of many semi-truck companies to try to classify their drivers as independent contractors. They do this because independent contractors do not need to be paid overtime, for time spent waiting at ports and other worker protections. This is how shipping companies get around having to pay trucker drivers for the total number of actual hours spent working.

Both federal and state laws have requirements for what it takes to be an independent contractor. There are a number of factors that the legal system looks at when deciding whether an employee is an independent contractor. Experienced New York employee rights attorneys look at cases like this every day. The truck drivers in this case won their class action lawsuit against their employer because the court agreed that the drivers were misclassified.

This lawsuit is another step along the way of bringing rights in the workplace for all. These truck drivers took a stand together and recovered just compensation. There were only a few plaintiffs in this lawsuit, yet there are thousands more potential plaintiffs in New York alone that have yet to take legal action and recover the lost compensation they deserve.

Call the NYC employee rights attorneys at Hepworth, Gershbaum & Roth, PLLC today if you are a truck driver that has been misclassified as an independent contractor. We offer free initial consultations. Schedule an appointment by calling 212-545-1199 or contact us online.