A disability services nonprofit has agreed to pay $76,500 to resolve a federal wage dispute over unpaid work and miscalculated overtime, ending a legal battle that highlighted the challenges faced by hourly call center employees. The settlement resolves the Call Center Workers Disability lawsuit filed in Virginia federal court.
Settlement Reaches Court Approval
In a joint motion filed Tuesday, the workers, led by Jennie Bethel, told the court that the agreement with ServiceSource Inc. represents the best path to conclude the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) case, which sought compensation for unpaid wages.
“The settlement provides meaningful monetary relief to plaintiffs and the FLSA collective members while eliminating the substantial risks, expense, and delay associated with continued litigation for both sides,” the motion said.
Claims Highlight Unpaid Pre-Shift and Meal Break Work
The lawsuit, lodged by Bethel in December 2024, alleged that ServiceSource failed to pay hourly call center employees for tasks performed before the start of shifts, including booting up and logging into computers, which were excluded from time sheets.
Bethel also claimed the nonprofit did not compensate employees for work done during unpaid meal breaks or properly include performance-based awards, holiday pay, and health and welfare benefits when calculating overtime rates.
