Labor Law -- 2014



Thyssenkrupp Waupaca, Inc. v. DeKeyser   (U.S. Supreme Court)

"Nature of the work" requires employees to don, doff and shower on-site

On 8/27/14 the NAM supported review of this case in the Supreme Court. The issue presented revolved around whether the “nature of the work” at Waupaca’s foundries required employees to don, doff and shower on-site. Plaintiffs contended that foundry dust containing silica and other chemicals made the work so hazardous that on-site clothes changing and showering was required by the nature of the work. The district court disagreed and granted summary judgment. The Seventh Circuit reversed, finding that there was a factual dispute over whether the nature of the work required on-site donning, doffing and showering.

This case is very important to manufacturers. The Seventh Circuit’s position takes the determination of health and safety out of the hands of the legislature and places it in the hands of each district court judge across the country. This is not the role the courts should play, and such a perspective creates instability and unpredictability, and increases costs on business and ultimately harms the employees.

The NAM’s brief argued that OSHA had promulgated standards for foundries which do not require on-site clothes changing and showering after work. This bright-line rule has been referenced in the donning and doffing space since roughly 1968. It provides a clear and easily administrable criterion for determining whether time spent changing clothes and showering is compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). If these activities can be performed offsite, at home or elsewhere, they are not compensable. If courts are going to be allowed to order them to pay for time spent changing clothes and showering when, as here, no federal or state agency requires that this conduct be performed on-site, and no rule of the employer requires that these activities be performed on-site, the impact of such a finding could be devastating. A flood of lawsuits would be filed in the foundry and other manufacturing industries, exposing these employers to huge potential payouts from overtime and require payment for additional hours of work at time and one-half. It is further likely that two to three years of back-pay would be in issue in every case, and all employees during this time period would potentially have a claim under the FLSA or Rule 23, the financial consequences would be staggering.

On November 3, 2014, the Court declined to hear this appeal.


Related Documents:
NAM brief  (August 27, 2014)