Supreme Court rules for workers in Tyson case

Arkansas Business, Nov 14, 2005 by Lance Turner

The U.S. Supreme Court last week ruled unanimously that companies must pay workers for time spent walking between workstations and locker rooms where they put on and remove protective work gear.

The decision came in a case brought by more than 800 workers at a Pasco, Wash., beef plant. The plant is a former IBP Inc. plant now owned by Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale.

In a statement, Tyson Foods said it appreciated the high court's clarification of the law.

"These rulings provide additional direction for businesses like ours about how people should be paid for the time they work ... We will now analyze what impact, if any, these rulings will have on the company," it said.

Workers argued that they should be paid for the time it takes to don protective clothing and walk to workstations. The court's ruling upholds a lower-court ruling that required Tyson to pay $3.1 million to the Pasco plant workers for time spent dressing.