The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that warehouse workers who fill orders for Amazon do not have to be paid, for the time they spend waiting to pass through security checks at the end of their shifts.
The unanimous decision is a victory for the growing number of retailers and other companies that routinely screen workers to prevent employee theft. The justices said employees do not have to be paid because that time is unrelated to their primary job duties.
Some workers at an Amazon contractor claim they wait up to 25 minutes to clear security before they can go home. The ruling reverses a decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which held the screenings were for the employer’s benefit, were integral to the workers’ jobs and should be paid time.
In a separate opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was joined by Justice Elena Kagan, said a principal job activity could include more than one thing but agreed that, in this case, the activities were what Congress deemed part of entering or leaving a workplace, and not compensable.
Amazon has at least four fulfillment centers in metro Phoenix.