The dispute centres around overtime wages and other schedule grievances.
A federal class action lawsuit, now with 548 claimants, is nearing its June 6 deadline and will soon lead to a trial. The suit, originally filed by former employee Julia Staggs, was granted a class action status in February of this year by Federal Judge Thomas Rose.
In the original suit, Staggs claimed that Fuyao Glass America did not pay overtime wages, which in America are legally enforced at “time and a half,” or one and a half times the normal paid hourly rate. She alleged that Fuyao management promised the same overtime wages for working during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, only to issue gift cards instead, and additionally, that she and other employees were often not entirely relieved of duties during unpaid meal breaks.
The suit includes former and current employees, and the attorney spearheading the suit, Bob DeRose, has said that to his knowledge, the company has not reacted negatively to the employees currently involved in the suit. DeRose expects that more employees may join the suit before the deadline, offering an estimate of ten to fifteen percent of the staff.
The Fuyao factory in Moraine Ohio employs around 2,300 people, where it manufactures automotive and after-market products.