Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether construction workers assigned to the Pittsburgh International Airport Terminal Modernization Project were required to spend unpaid time traveling between contractor-designated parking areas and active construction worksites.
Large airport construction projects often require workers to report to remote parking lots before boarding employer-directed buses or vans to secured work areas. Workers may be entitled to compensation if they were required to report to a designated location, wait for transportation, travel through controlled airport access points, and were not paid until arriving at the jobsite.
What Workers Report
Construction workers report:
- Being instructed to park in designated contractor parking areas.
- Waiting for contractor-operated buses or vans before each shift.
- Riding mandatory transportation to secured construction areas.
- Passing through airport security or controlled access checkpoints before beginning work.
- Carrying required tools, equipment, or personal protective equipment during transportation.
- Spending 20 to 45 minutes traveling before and after each shift.
- Not being compensated for shuttle or waiting time.
- Working overtime without receiving additional compensation for transportation time.
- Similar transportation procedures applying to entire crews or trades.
Why Workers Should Be Concerned
Airport construction projects frequently operate within secure areas that workers cannot access using their personal vehicles. As a result, contractors often require employees to report to remote parking locations where employer-controlled transportation is provided.
When workers must report to a designated location at a specified time, remain under the employer’s direction, and use mandatory transportation to reach the worksite, that travel may constitute compensable work time rather than an ordinary commute.
Even relatively short periods of unpaid transportation can accumulate into substantial unpaid wages. Workers spending 30 minutes traveling each way may lose approximately five hours of compensable time every workweek. Over the course of a major multi-year construction project, these unpaid wages may become significant.
This investigation seeks to determine whether contractors on the Pittsburgh International Airport project required mandatory remote parking and transportation while failing to compensate workers for all hours worked.
Potential Claims May Include
- Failure to pay wages for compensable work time
- Failure to pay overtime
- Fair Labor Standards Act violations
- Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act violations
- Recordkeeping violations
- Unjust enrichment
Signs You May Be Affected
You may be affected if:
- You worked on the Pittsburgh International Airport Terminal Modernization Project.
- You parked in a designated contractor parking area.
- You were required to ride an employer-controlled shuttle or bus.
- You waited for transportation before clocking in.
- You passed through security before reaching the worksite.
- You were not paid for shuttle or waiting time.
- The unpaid time caused you to miss overtime compensation.
If you have encountered these issues, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.