UPS Stiffs Holiday Helpers By Fudging Pay Stubs, Lawsuit Claims

NEW YORK CITY — UPS stiffs its holiday helpers by refusing to pay them a dime before they've delivered a package, a new lawsuit alleges.

Two seasonal helpers — hired to chip in during the holiday rush — filed suit in Brooklyn Federal Court Tuesday against the United Parcel Service of America, court records show.

Lalynda Hedges and Zyaire Simmons, both of Brooklyn, say UPS only paid them for the hours between their first and last packages were scanned and filed as delivered, the suit says.

But UPS spokesperson Matthew O'Connor said the allegations did not line up with the company's policies.

"We greatly value our employees, and these allegations are not consistent with our culture or processes," O'Connor told Patch. "We are reviewing the allegations, will investigate the situation, and respond accordingly."

Yet Hedges and Simmons said they were not paid for hours of work before their first deliveries and after dropping the last.

The pair argue this blanket policy affected all temporary workers hired to help out during peak season — between Oct. 15 and Jan. 15. — for the past five years at UPS's 14 New York City outposts.

UPS, a 500,000-employee company based in Atlanta, estimates it hired about 100,000 people during the 2019-2020 peak season, a press release shows.

Seasonal helpers were paid between $15 and $30 an hour in 2019, according to Fortune, which means Hedges and Simmons could have been denied up to $90 a day in pay.

The class action lawsuit accuses UPS of violating New York labor laws, the state's Minimum Wage Act and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

Hedges and Simmons are seek wage compensation, damages and attorneys fees, the suit shows.

Neither the pair's attorneys immediately responded to Patch's requests for comment.