Maryland Federal District Court Approves Collective Action Settlement for Baltimore-based Construction Flaggers
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland approved a collective-action settlement resolving wage-and-hour and retaliation claims brought by construction flaggers for a total settlement amount of $760,000. The defendants in the case were LRW Traffic Systems LLC and its principal, Robert Scott-Coples; Stella May Contracting Inc.; and B. Frank Joy LLC.
Construction flagging is a grueling and often dangerous line of work. Flaggers direct traffic in construction work zones and ensure the safety of both construction workers and vehicle drivers. However, the flaggers themselves remain at significant risk, including from high-speed traffic and encounters with angry, aggressive, or distracted drivers. Flaggers are often the lowest paid workers on construction sites.
The workers worked for LRW Traffic Systems under subcontracts with Stella May and B. Frank Joy. They alleged that they experienced several forms of wage theft, including allegations that LRW failed to pay them anything for the time they spent at its yard each morning or for the time they spent traveling from there to the day’s job site, and that LRW paid them less than the required prevailing wage rates for their work on public projects. The settlement also resolves retaliation claims brought by flaggers who alleged that LRW fired them after speaking up about the wage theft and participating in this lawsuit.
Murphy Anderson PLLC and the Public Justice Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of the workers. The workers were represented by Murphy Anderson attorneys Mark Hanna, Arlus Stephens, and Jen Vail, former Murphy Anderson George R. Murphy Fellow Samantha Sloane, and Public Justice Center attorney Sam Williamson.