Lawsuit: BASF Fails to Pay Employees for ‘Donning and Doffing’ Time

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BASF Corporation is on the receiving end of a proposed collective action lawsuit that claims it improperly compensated its employees by requiring them to work “off the clock.” The plaintiff in the case says her job required her to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that she was required to put on and take off before and after each shift. She claims she was not paid for this “donning” and “doffing” time or for the time she spent showering after each shift to remove “toxic and potentially carcinogenic substances” she may have encountered while performing her job duties.

The suit further alleges that the defendant engaged in the practice of “rounding off” the time employees clocked in and out, robbing them of minutes and hours they worked each week. The complaint claims that because the plaintiff and similarly situated employees already worked 40 or more hours per week, the additional time for which they were not paid would be considered overtime, meaning they are owed time-and-a-half wages for each hour the defendant allegedly failed to pay them.