In a case filed on Monday, US authorities accused the multinational delivery company UPS of underpaying its seasonal employees, who are essential to fulfilling the demand of the yearly overflow of online shopping.
In the case, the attorney general's office in New York claimed that UPS, which says it delivers 22.4 million items every day, "commits wage theft against these workers in myriad ways."
Prosecutors claimed that "UPS has repeatedly and persistently failed to pay Seasonal Delivery Workers for all time worked," implying that thousands of current and former employees are impacted.
In addition to claiming that UPS's timekeeping "introduced and compounded" problems, the petition asserts that UPS employees were not compensated for their labor before and after shifts as well as during meal breaks.
The office of Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that "these unlawful practices deprived workers of millions of dollars and is asking the court to order UPS to pay restitution for current and former seasonal workers whose wages were unlawfully withheld."
James stated in the statement, "Instead of compensating these workers fairly for their labor, UPS has played the Grinch," alluding to the well-known Christmas theft by Dr. Seuss.
"UPS takes all accusations of wrongdoing seriously and denies the unfounded allegation of intentionally underpaying UPS employees," the business stated in a statement.
We continue to be dedicated to abiding by all relevant regulations and provide our more than 26,000 employees in New York with industry-leading compensation and benefits."
