Limo drivers are hardworking people. They routinely work 12 to 14 hour days. And just as routinely, they are victims of wage theft by not getting the overtime compensation they deserve.
This week, Sunny's Limousine Service, Inc. of New York agreed to pay 3.5 Million Dollars to settle a class action brought on behalf of hundreds of limo drivers who were not paid the overtime they deserved. According to the lawsuit, Sunny's allegedly misrepresented the amount of fares and gratuities
collected when it paid the drivers based on a percentage of each fare, and when
the pay structure shifted to an hourly basis, hours worked weren't properly
tracked and some weren't paid for at all, and others didn't get the proper
overtime rate. The suit also claimed that, until August 2013, the drivers didn't get any premium overtime pay despite
working roughly 72 to 82 hours per week.
Limo companies here in Connecticut are also getting sued for similar actions. The U.S. Department of Labor has sued Premier Limousine. I myself am involved in class-action lawsuits against Hoyt Livery, Inc., Serlin International Limousine, Rudy's Limousine Service, Inc. and Elite Limousine. Our hope is that the limo industry will clean up its act and start paying its drivers according to the law.
