National Grid's recent payroll glitch left many employees shortchanged after they worked overtime to restore power in some of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy, but they are now attempting to reclaim lost wages and more through a lawsuit that's seeking class action status. The Transport Workers Union of America filed the suit last week, requesting overtime compensation and damages for the delay caused by issues in the power provider's new payroll system.

According to the claims, some employees received paychecks for $0, while others saw totals reflecting a standard 40-hour workweek when their time and attendance actually reached 60 or 80 hours. In the wake of the storm, some National Grid workers spent 16 hours on the clock without breaks to restore power to homes and businesses in Long Island and upstate New York, yet they did not receive premium wages for their extra employee attendance.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes that staff members must be paid one-and-a-half times their standard hourly rate for overtime unless exempt as administrative, executive and professional employees, or performing outside sales or skilled computer work.

If workers do not receive the pay they are rightfully owed, businesses may be subject to investigation by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and face lawsuits to recover lost pay. 

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