Reclaiming Wages a Tough Road for Temp Workers
By Maria Inez Zamudio
Eidy Gaspar was surprised when her manager said she wouldn’t be paid overtime anymore. Gaspar, a warehouse worker in suburban Chicago, didn’t object because she feared being blacklisted by the temporary agency that hired her: Staffing Network, one of the largest hiring agencies in Illinois.
The mother of three worked full-time in the warehouse for six years packing books to be shipped to retailers like Target and Walmart. But when she wasn’t paid for her regular 40-hour work week, she confronted her manager. He shifted the burden of proof to her, according to a class action lawsuit she filed in August 2013 against the warehouse and Staffing Network.
“It was absurd. How can they ask me to show proof that I worked those hours?” Gaspar, 37, said in Spanish. “I punched in and out when they told me. They kept the records for those hours.”