New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched a lawsuit against United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS), accusing the company of cheating its seasonal delivery workers out of millions of dollars in earned wages, as reported by the Office of the Attorney General. The Attorney General's investigation, which began after concerns were raised by Teamsters Local 804, alleges that UPS failed to accurately record all hours worked, required off-the-clock labor, and manipulated timekeeping systems to undercut paid hours.
According to the findings, these practices by UPS did not only occur occasionally, but were instead embedded as a persistent pattern across its operations in New York. Workers recounted having to report to facilities or meetup points and wait, often for hours, without receiving pay—often to then be sent home without ever clocking in. In a statement obtained by the Office of the Attorney General, Letitia James said, "UPS built its holiday business on the backs of workers who were not paid for their time and labor." She vowed to fight to recover the lost wages for these workers and to prevent further wage theft by UPS.
These seasonal workers, including Driver Helpers and Seasonal Support Drivers, play a fundamental role in meeting the increased demands during the holiday season. However, their critical seasonal income was impacted as they faced unpaid hours for time spent on required activities that went unrecorded. This includes traveling between assignments, attending mandatory training, and performing tasks such as loading packages or preparing vehicles. In her lawsuit, Attorney General James argues that these acts of systematic undercounting of hours and the resulting underpayment constitute clear violations of New York Labor Law.
The labor found that UPS's practices affected thousands of seasonal workers and involved tactics like delaying clock-ins until a worker's first package scan or delivery, regardless of prior work or waiting done on-site. This effectively ensured any early work went entirely unpaid. "UPS's seasonal employees work brutal hours in the cold to deliver the holiday packages families across the country count on," James told the Office of the Attorney General, criticizing the wage theft by the delivery giant. In response to these violations, the lawsuit seeks restitution for workers and demands UPS to adopt reforms that would end off-the-clock work and other unlawful practices.
Notably, UPS, a behemoth in package delivery and a company that generates approximately $90 billion in annual revenue, faces legal consequences not just from the state but also for alleged violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The case, handled by Assistant Attorneys General and overseen by the Division for Social Justice, underscores the efforts made to protect labor rights in New York.
