Class Action Filed Against Murphy Oil USA Alleges Civil Rights Violations

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In addition to claiming he was not paid time-and-a-half overtime wages, the plaintiff says he repeatedly endured hurtful remarks about—and was ultimately fired because of—his religious beliefs.

A gas station attendant formerly employed by Murphy Oil USA, Inc. has filed a class action lawsuit against the company claiming he was regularly scheduled to work off the clock without proper overtime pay in order to keep his job and was eventually fired because of his religious beliefs. The plaintiff, who identifies as a Jehovah’s Witness, says he was close to being fired by store managers in 2013 for not saying “have a merry Christmas” to customers, an act prohibited by his religion. After the Christmas season, the lawsuit claims, one of the plaintiff’s superiors continued to make disparaging remarks about his religion. The plaintiff alleges that he was wrongfully terminated as the 2014 Christmas season approached under the pretense that a register count was short, when he was, in truth, fired because of his religious affiliation.

As for the wage and hours claims, the plaintiff says he and other workers were regularly forced to work off the clock—without Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)-mandated overtime pay—because management frequently accused the employees of being short on register counts and told them they had to make up for the money shortage or else they would be fired.

The lawsuit covers a proposed class of individuals throughout the United States who worked for Murphy Oil USA at any time within the last three years who were required to work off the clock in violation of the FLSA.