Hussein v. Capital Building Services Group, Inc.

152 F. Supp. 3d 1182, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157572, 2015 WL 7313858
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedNovember 20, 2015
DocketCivil No. 15-CV-2498 (SRN/BRT)
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 152 F. Supp. 3d 1182 (Hussein v. Capital Building Services Group, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hussein v. Capital Building Services Group, Inc., 152 F. Supp. 3d 1182, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157572, 2015 WL 7313858 (mnd 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SUSAN RICHARD NELSON, United States District Court Judge

This matter is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Conditional Class Certification and Judicial Notice Pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 216(b), Class Certification Under Rule 23, and for a Preliminary Injunction Under Rulé 65 [Doc. No. 5]. In this Memorandum Opinion and Order, the Court addresses only the portion of Plaintiffs’ motion seeking conditional certification under § 216(b).1 As to conditional class certification under § 216(b), for the reasons set forth herein, Plaintiffs’ motion is granted.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Plaintiffs’ Claims

Plaintiffs Duniyo Hussein, Naima 'Omar Issa, Leyla Yusuf, Raymond Deshler, Assi-ongbonvi “Luc” ■ Kangnigan, Melvin Holmes, Abraham Quevedo Orantes, and Leticia Zuniga Escamilla (“Plaintiffs”) work or worked as cleaners at Macy’s and Herberger’s department stores in Minnesota. (Compl. ¶ 2 [Doc. No. 1].) They are or were directly employed by Defendant Capital Building Services Group, Inc. (“Capital”). (Id.) Capital, an Illinois company, provides commercial cleaning services to retail, corporate, commercial, industrial, banking, and educational venues in 25 different states, including Macy’s and Her-berger’s in Minnesota. (Id. ¶¶ 2; ,21-22.) The eight named Plaintiffs seek to represent a class of all cleaners, including crew leaders, who worked for Capital in Minnesota within a three-year period. (Pis.’ Mot. for Cond’l Cert, at 2 [Doc. No. 5].)

Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit on May 20, 2015, asserting minimum wage, overtime, record keeping, and method of payment violations under the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act (“MFLSA”) (Counts I, IV, VII, and YIII), (see Compl. ¶¶ 98-108 [Doc. No. 1]);; minimum wage, overtime, and retaliation claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) (Counts II, III, IX, and XI), (see id. ¶¶ 109-19; 120-27; 176-83; 192-99); unpaid wages and earnings statement violations under, the Minnesota Payment of Wages Act (“MPWA”) (Counts V and VI), (see id. ¶¶ 138-52; 153-61); and a violation of the Minnesota Whistleblower Act (Courit X), (see id. ¶¶ 184-91). Through the instant motion, Plaintiffs seek conditional certification of their proposed FLSA collective claims in Counts II and III of the Complaint for minimum wage and overtime violations.2

[1186]*1186As noted, this lawsuit arises from Plaintiffs’ and the putative class members’ employment as cleaners with Capital. Plaintiffs Hussein, Deshler, Holmes, Quevedo, and Zuniga .are current employees who work as cleaners or crew leaders (Compl. ¶¶ 15, 16,18,' 19, 20 [Doc. 1]); Plaintiffs Issa, Yusuf, and Kangnigan are former employees (id. ¶¶ 13,14,17) who worked as cleaners employed during the relevant time period. During Quevedo’s tenure‘with Capital, he has also held the position of area manager/ (Quevedo Decl. 12, Ex. 8 to Hansen Decl. [Doc. No. 8-2].)3

Based on Quevedo’s former experience as an area manager, his declaration submitted in support of Plaintiffs’ motion provides general information about Capital’s structure and policies. Quevedo attests that Capital’s operational policies are determined at its principal office in Illinois. (Id. ¶ 15.) Capital’s district managers' are responsible for implementing those policies and managing day-to-day operations. (Id.) A single district manager is responsible' for Capital’s cleaning operations in Minnesota. (Id.). The district manager oversees all duties related to payroll including setting employees’ schedules, entering their hours, and handling any complaints or disputes concerning payroll. (Id. ¶ 17.) In addition, the district manager makes all hiring and firing decisions. (Id.) Directly below the position of district manager.is the apea manager. (Id. ¶ 18.) The area manager’s primary duty is to travel between.Macy’s and Herberger’s stores in Minnesota and perform. cleaning tasks when a cleaner does not. report to work or when extra cleaning is required. (Id.)

Cleaners and crew leaders work at each store. (Id. ¶ 19.) The crew leader is responsible for the overall cleanliness of a given store. (Id.) Capital employs approximately 50 cleaners to clean Macy’s and Herber-ger’s stores in Minnesota. (Id. ¶ 21.) Quev-edo attests that employee turnover is high; consequently, he estimates that Capital has employed several hundred cleaners in Minnesota. (Id.)

1. Record Keeping

Plaintiffs contend that until early 2015, Capital failed to provide pay stubs or any written or electronic earnings statements to its employees. (Hussein Deck ¶ 3; Issa Deck ¶ 3;' Yusuf Deck ¶ 3; Deshler Deck ¶ 3; Kangnigan Deck ¶ 3; Holmes Deck ¶ 4; 6; Quevedo Deck ¶ 6; Zuniga Deck ¶3.) Specifically, Hussein .contends that she never received a pay stub, until March 2015 (Hussein Deck ¶8), while Holmes and Quevedo began receiving them earlier in 2015, when Capital switched payroll processing companies (Holmes Deck ¶4; Quevedo Deck ¶ 6.) Former employees Issa, Yusuf, .and Kangnigan assert that they never received a .pay stub at any time,, (Issa Deck ¶ 3; Yusuf Deck ¶ 3; Kangnigan Deck , ¶ 3), and all Plaintiffs contend that they were unable .to see or print their earnings statements at work when Capitol used a different payroll processing company prior to January 2015. (Id.; Hussein Deck ¶ 3; Deshler Deck ¶ 3; Holmes D|ecl. If 4; Quevedo Deck ¶ 6; Zuni-ga Deck ¶ 3.)

■ When Quevedo worked as an area manager, he was able to use a-company computer to see his net pay and hours worked for himself and for other employees, but he was unable to see taxes withheld or gross pay. (Quevedo Deck ¶ 7.) When employees complained to Quevedo about the lack of pay stubs, he told them that he was unable to access this information and, per his district manager’s instructions, told employees to “check the computer.” (Id.)

[1187]*1187Quevedo also attests that each Macy’s and Herberger’s store has a small room used by Capital as an office. (Id. ¶ 20.) During Quevedo’s tenure, he has seen or used the offices in the majority of the Macy’s and Herberger’s stores in Minnesota. (Id.) While several of the offices do not have computers, in those that have either a computer or tablet, the devices are only to be used by the district manager or area manager. (Id.) According to Quevedo, employees are not permitted to use these computers for any reason, including viewing or printing their earnings statements. (Id)

2. Form/Method of Payment

As to the form of cleaners’ pay, Quevedo states that employees are. given only two options: a payroll card or direct deposit of pay into their bank accounts. (Id ¶ 12.) He contends that employees do not have the option of receiving a paycheck and that employees receiving payroll cards incur ATM/debit fees in order to withdraw their earnings. (Id.) Plaintiff Deshler, who is paid via payroll card, contends that he is unable to access his pay without incurring ATM/bank fees. (Deshler Deck ¶ 6.) In addition, he contends that oftentimes, the funds are not available for withdrawal until well after the’payday. (Id.)

3. Uncompensated Time and Expenses

Plaintiffs assert several claims involving uncompensated time and expenses, including regular time, overtime, meal break time, travel time, and cleaning supply expenses.

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152 F. Supp. 3d 1182, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157572, 2015 WL 7313858, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hussein-v-capital-building-services-group-inc-mnd-2015.