Penn. Company To Pay Up For Making Workers Clock Out On Bathroom Breaks

(dpa) - A worker inserts a timekeeping card into a time clock in a company in Passau, Germany, 15 April 2004. According to a survey by polis/USUMA for 'Focus' magazine 54 per cent of the male employees in Germany are... (dpa) - A worker inserts a timekeeping card into a time clock in a company in Passau, Germany, 15 April 2004. According to a survey by polis/USUMA for 'Focus' magazine 54 per cent of the male employees in Germany are working more than 40 hours per week. Photo by: Armin Weigel/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania company that publishes business newsletters will pay about $1.75 million to thousands of employees who had to clock out while going on short breaks, including for the bathroom.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a federal judge has given the U.S. Department of Labor and the Malvern-based company, American Future Systems Inc., until Thursday to submit proposals on managing payment.

The company had argued that it wasn’t required to pay employees for short breaks.

The bill includes back pay and damages to 6,000 employees at offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio between 2009 and 2013.

The Department of Labor filed a lawsuit in 2012 claiming the company violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act because employees weren’t earning minimum wage when the company required them to clock out for breaks.

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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.inquirer.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  1. Avatar for dnl dnl says:

    …I’m surprised they didn’t charge employees for water/sewage/electricity used while peeing/pooing.

  2. The company calls itself American Future Systems Inc.

    Lets all hope not.

  3. This is why the last thing we need is a corporate CEO type/businessman as president.

  4. Why clock out when you can just duck into the conference room and pee in a corner?

    That’s still not as disgusting as putting workers off the clock when they use the bathroom.

  5. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    Bathroom breaks? Just cut out the lunch and coffee breaks and problem solved.

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