New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued UPS, accusing the shipping giant of systematically cheating thousands of seasonal delivery workers out of millions of dollars in wages.
“UPS built its holiday business on the backs of workers who were not paid for their time and labor,” James said in a press release. “UPS’s seasonal employees work brutal hours in the cold to deliver the holiday packages families across the country count on.”
According to the lawsuit, an investigation by the attorney general’s office uncovered widespread off-the-clock work, inaccurate timekeeping, and underpayment across dozens of UPS facilities in the state.
UPS denied the allegations in a statement to Business Insider.
“We offer industry-leading pay and benefits to our more than 26,000 employees in New York, and we remain committed to following all applicable laws,” the company said.
The complaint alleges that driver helpers and seasonal support drivers routinely waited at facilities or roadside meet-up points without pay, sometimes for hours, before they were allowed to clock in. Workers also went uncompensated for tasks like loading vehicles, watching required training videos, traveling between assignments, and returning undelivered packages or equipment. Many were sent home without ever being clocked in at all.
Per the filing, investigators found that UPS delayed some clock-ins until a first package was scanned or delivered, automatically deducted meal breaks regardless of whether workers actually took them, and edited records to cut the number of paid hours. The lawsuit says these practices caused the company to fall short of minimum wage and overtime requirements under state and federal law.
The lawsuit seeks restitution for current and former seasonal workers, along with other damages, and an order blocking UPS from continuing the pay practices described in the filing.
“Instead of compensating these workers fairly for their labor, UPS has played the Grinch,” James said in the press release.
This story was written using Business Insider’s AI tools and edited by a Business Insider editor.
