The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) recently faced a class action lawsuit in which it was accused of improperly classifying and charging certain advertisements. According to the suit, the USPS wrongly classifies bulk mail as “first class” when it should be classified as “common carrier” or “receiver mail.” The complaint further alleged that the USPS created a quota system that required employees to mail more than 100 pieces of advertised mail per week in order to receive bonus increases in pay. These charges are considered legally improper and the lawsuit is seeking class-action status.
The payroll processor company Automatic Data Processing Inc (ADP) has been hit with a class action lawsuit in which it is accused of improperly classifying and improperly charging certain debit cards used by its employees. ADP class action lawsuit alleges that the ADP failed to apply the proper rules and regulations concerning the debit processing and charge card processing of its employees’ payroll, which resulted in the wrongful and illegal processing of their paychecks. The complaint further claims that the ADP engaged in a pattern and practice of excluding qualified employees from its payroll program, maintaining a system of bonuses and incentives that kept employees from receiving their full payroll deductions for many months while failing to pay the required taxes and insurance premium to the IRS on these employees’ behalf.
The complaint further claims that this conduct deprived the members of the ADP employees group of their rights to fair wages and benefits, as well as access to affordable healthcare benefits. In addition to denying them these rights, the USPS also did not allow the employees to properly make deductions for hours worked. This class action lawsuit claims that the actions and inaction are unlawful and were done in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The complaint further claims that the USPS failed to take any corrective action or offer any meaningful opportunity to the affected employees to remedy the violations and to obtain reinstatement as well as back pay once they quit.
The top class actions claim that ADP deliberately set out to illegally discriminate against employees and deny them the right to receive their legally mandated (and therefore entitled) wage and medical benefits. These include the long-standing problem of discrimination against African American, Hispanic, and Native American employees when it comes to receiving the same wages and medical benefits as white employees. In addition, the complaint maintains that the ADP systematically failed to implement an effective system to ensure that the interests of these classes of employees were protected and that they were not discriminated against when applying for and receiving new employment. As a result, many African American, Hispanic, and Native American individuals and families were unnecessarily left without the right to enjoy employment in the US Postal Service (USPS).
The above facts and circumstances give rise to the legitimate basis of the Adp class action lawsuit. It is also worth noting that the US Postal Service (USPS) is a private entity, unlike the government agencies which are required by law to operate with the consent of the United States Congress. As such, it has an interest in avoiding lawsuits, especially those which are brought on behalf of the US public. Accordingly, the USPS determined that it was in its best interest to settle the Adp class action lawsuit in return for a waiver of the claims. This waiver, however, does not come cheap. On top of the filing fees and attorney’s fees that the plaintiffs would have to repay if the case went to trial, the USPS will be paying the costs of the investigation and other potential witnesses as well as any other litigation expenses.
It is worth adding, though, that the Adp class action lawsuit does not touch on the discriminatory policies of the US Postal Service but rather the fraudulent practices of the employer. That said, as noted above, the USPS often uses Adp software to track down defaulters using a pre-approved list of names that they themselves concocted. The software then uses the information found to trigger collection of your wages via your payroll card. For this reason, you should understand that the USPS can only guarantee you get a percentage of your normal wage based on how much of the regular wage earner’s wages are applied to the applicable benefits through your payroll card. You are therefore advised to contest this aspect of the Adp class action lawsuit.
