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Suit claims VXI workers unpaid for extra work
YOUNGSTOWN
Former employees of VXI Global Solutions LLC, which operates a West Federal Street call center, are suing the company, claiming the company’s “illegal pay system” forces employees to work off-the-clock and doesn’t properly compensate for overtime.
The fair labor standards suit was filed in federal court Thursday by attorneys from Columbus and Corpus Christi, Texas, on behalf of at least two hourly call-center employees named in the suit: Patrice Ellis, who worked at VXI’s Youngstown office from November 2017 until April 2018, and Gladys Sifuentes, who worked at a VXI location in Lubbock, Texas, from October 2016 until May 2018.
The suit claims VXI’s corporate policy doesn’t consider workers as “on the clock” until their computers are booted and ready to take calls, and any work occurring after a scheduled shift ends isn’t compensated.
“Specifically, plaintiffs ... are required to start up and log in to their computers before their shift officially starts, and then log in to each VXI program, and ensure that each VXI program is running correctly – all of which can take up to 30 minutes – before they are able to take their first phone call,” the suit states. “Plaintiffs ... were required to arrive at work early, well in advance of their scheduled shifts, in order to perform work for VXI.”
The suit also claims those computers “crashed multiple times,” and a reset took an extra 20 minutes on top of the normal boot routine – all of which was technically unpaid.
The suit seeks unpaid wages from plaintiffs’ 40-hour work weeks as well as time-and-a-half pay for work that ran over that work week. A federal case summary lists the demand as $75,000. The filing also seeks other VXI employees who may have similar claims to opt in to the suit.
Earlier this week, the company announced it plans to add a new business line this year for a food-delivery service leader and expand two of its accounts, which would add about 300 new employees, according to 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.
The foreign-owned LLC operates offices in the U.S., China, the Phillipines and Central America. The company’s 20 West Federal St. call center is its second-largest site in the country.
VXI’s Youngstown offices could not be reached by phone Friday.