In the case of James v. Metlife Group, Inc., Tenisha James and Natasha Jarvis filed a lawsuit against their employer Metlife Group (Metlife), an insurance and financial service company. James and Jarvis were employed through a staffing agency, AppleOne, and were assigned to work as Senior Customer Service Representatives (SCSRs) at Metlife.
James and Jarvis alleged that they were not paid for overtime hours they worked and had complained about it to AppleOne. They claimed that their supervisor assigned them a high workload that often required them to work beyond their designated hours. They alleged that they were demanded to complete their work by the end of the day and submit timesheets that omitted any work performed after 4:30 p.m.
James and Jarvis contacted AppleOne to complain about the lack of overtime pay. They were advised to complete a written complaint form and provide supporting documentation, which they did. Shortly after their complaint, Metlife decided to terminate their employment. James and Jarvis filed a retaliation claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and argued that their termination was because of their unpaid overtime complaint.
Metlife sought a summary judgment and claimed there was no evidence to prove that they were aware of the complaints made to AppleOne. However, the court denied their motion for summary judgment.
The court concluded that there was enough evidence to suggest that Metlife might have been aware of the overtime complaint before deciding to terminate James and Jarvis. In summary, the court denied Metlife’s motion for a summary judgment. The final ruling of this case is undetermined.
Key lessons from this case:
- Employees have the right to assert their overtime rights without fear of retaliation, such as termination.
- To establish a retaliation claim, it is important to prove that the employer knew of the employee’s complaints regarding unpaid overtime.
- Employees working through a staffing agency should effectively communicate their concerns regarding overtime pay to both the agency and the employer to ensure their rights are protected.
- Employers should establish clear performance expectations and communicate overtime policies to employees.
If you want to know more about overtime regulations, read our guide on Connecticut Overtime Laws.
