Pinnacle Logistics (Hourly-Paid Workers)

The Defendant

IAS Logistics DFW, LLC d/b/a Pinnacle Logistics provides a range of logistic and ground support equipment leasing services including local delivery, warehouse management, loading and unloading cargo aircraft, etc. It maintains service locations in the States of Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

The Employees

Position(s):Hourly-paid workers employed by Pinnacle Logistics.

Location(s): All locations operated by Pinnacle Logistics.

Time Period: September 2017 to Present.

The Claims in the Lawsuit

The complaint alleges that Pinnacle Logistics violated the federal and state wage laws by engaging in illegal policies and practices, which include:

• automatically deducting thirty minutes to one hour of pay for “meal break” even though the workers worked through their shifts and did not receive uninterrupted bona fide meal breaks, i.e., completely relieved from duties for the purposes of eating regular meals, thus failing to compensate the workers straight time and overtime wages for all hours worked, and
• failing to pay proper overtime rates–failing to include compensation for weekends shifts and night shift differentials in the workers’ regular rate of pay before statutory overtime compensation is computed.

Case Status

August 31, 2020: A Collective and Class Action Complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Can Defendant discipline or fire me if I join the case? 

No! The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits retaliation and imposes harsh measures against employers who retaliate. For further information, please consult the Department of Labor’s Fact Sheet.

Will I have to testify or provide documentary proof?

Not necessarily. Many employees obtain monetary recoveries in Fair Labor Standards Act cases without ever having to appear at court or for depositions.

You are not required to provide documentary proof of your unpaid wages. In most cases, the employer is required to provide the employee’s payroll records to the employee and his or her attorney. In fact, the Fair Labor Standards Act mandates that employers keep accurate time and payroll records. The employer cannot escape this duty by requiring you as the employee to provide proof.

However, it is still important that you preserve any physical or electronic evidence relating to the case that you currently possession. 

Will Brown, LLC be my attorneys?

Employees who sign Retainer Agreements and/or Consent to Sue forms will be represented by Brown, LLC with respect to the lawsuit and claims described above.

You will not be required to pay any attorneys’ fees or court costs to the Plaintiffs’ lawyers at this time and not pay any attorneys’ fees unless you prevail. Rather, in the event the Plaintiffs prevail  in the lawsuit, by either judgment or settlement, the Plaintiffs’ attorneys will request that the Court order Defendant(s) to pay the Plaintiffs’ lawyers their reasonable attorneys’ fees and  reimburse them for any expenses.

How long will the case take? 

It is very difficult to predict exactly how long a case will take. It depends on a variety of factors including the number of parties and claims involved, the rules and pace of the court, the complexity of the proofs, and the manner in which the employer defends the case. When and if a settlement is reached, additional time is needed to prepare settlement documents, calculate settlement allocations, and seek and await the court’s review and approval of the settlement. Wage-and-hour cases typically take 2-3 years, but this can be shorter or increase considerably.