Group for disabled sued by 3 workers
BY JOE CARLSON
jcarlson@nwitimes.com
219.933.3364 | Saturday, June 14, 2008

HAMMOND | Three workers of an organization that serves developmentally disabled people in Northwest Indiana have filed a federal class action lawsuit against their employer, claiming unpaid overtime.

The workers are suing Gary-based ARC Bridges Inc. in Hammond federal court. The organization provides residential, employment and day care services for its clients at four job centers and more than 30 residential facilities across the region.

Sharon Lorek, of Crown Point, and Shirley Bullock and Gloria Morson, both of Gary, allege the company does not pay them what they should earn for missed lunch breaks, overnight residential duties and unused vacation time.

"It's not uncommon for employers like this not to pay their people properly," said Memphis-based attorney Alan Crone, who is representing the workers.

Officials with ARC Bridges did not respond to calls for comment about the case. ARC Bridges has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

Though three employees initially filed the case June 6, Crone said he is asking the judge to order the organization to turn over lists of current and former employees to be notified of their right to "opt in" to the litigation. He expects several hundred employees will join the case.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows workers to seek unpaid overtime for up to two prior years. If an employer is found to have acted in "bad faith," workers can go back three years and ask for damages in addition to unpaid time, Crone said.

Among the allegations in the Hammond federal lawsuit is a claim by Bullock that residential workers who sleep in homes with clients between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. are paid $1 per hour, even though they are frequently interrupted to work on resident disturbances during those hours.