Arbitration Won in Dish Network Call Centers Case
The law firms of Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP and Herrold Herrold & Co. won a collective action arbitration (like a lawsuit) on behalf of customer service representatives and other telephone dedicated employees for unpaid wages and overtime worked at call centers operated by Echosphere, LLC ("Echosphere") and Dish Network, L.L.C., f/k/a Echostar Satellite, L.L.C. ("Dish Network").
The lawsuit alleged that Echosphere and Dish Network consistently violated federal wage and hour laws by failing to pay employees all earned wages and overtime and failing to accurately record all time worked pre-shift and post-shift. Examples of the alleged unlawful practices include requiring employees to work "off the clock" by not paying for pre-shift work such as logging into computer applications.
The Arbitrator certified the class and notice was sent to hourly telephone-dedicated call center employees who were employed by the defendant during the three-year period going back from the Court's order. Approximately 2,800 class members opted in to the case. The time period to join this litigation has now closed.
In the summer of 2011, we presented the case in a week long arbitration hearing (like a trial) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After the hearing, the Arbitrator issued a Final Award finding that DISH failed to pay its employees overtime and awarded the class members damages in the amount of $2.9 million. This included payment for unpaid overtime compensation, liquidated damages, and attorneys' fees and expenses.
