On June 5, 2020, a school bus driver employed by Metropolitan Transportation Network, Inc. (“MTN”) initiated a lawsuit alleging that the school bus company engaged in a pattern and practice of editing drivers’ time records to reflect and pay for less time than was actually worked. The Complaint alleges that MTN unlawfully shaved time for pre-shift inspections and modified drivers’ recorded start and end times, which resulted in drivers being paid less than they were owed.
The lawsuit is filed as a putative collective action under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and class action under Minnesota state laws. The action seeks to recover for Minnesota drivers their unpaid regular and overtime compensation for the past three years and an award of liquidated (double) damages.
The driver’s attorney, Michele Fisher of Nichols Kaster, PLLP, explained, “These school bus drivers worked hard to ensure our community’s children were transported to and from school safely. MTN must be held accountable for paying them for all of their time worked.”
MTN partners with the Minneapolis Public School District, along with other districts and charter schools in Minnesota, to provide daily student transportation. According to its website, it also provides services for field trips, extracurricular activities, and charters.
The drivers are represented by Michele R. Fisher from Nichols Kaster, PLLP, which has offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Francisco, California. The case is entitled, Warsame v. Metropolitan Transportation Network, Inc., Case No.: 0:20-cv-01318 (District of Minnesota).
Additional information about how to make a claim in the case may be found at www.nka.com or by calling Nichols Kaster, PLLP at (612) 256-3200.
Photo by Courtney Hobbs on Unsplash