NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against UPS, alleging the company deprived seasonal workers of tens of millions of dollars in wages. According to the lawsuit, these workers, crucial during the hectic holiday season, were sometimes forced to start their shifts late and had pay deducted for lunch breaks they didn’t take.

The legal action, initiated in a Manhattan state court, claims that UPS consistently failed to fairly compensate driver helpers, who assist in deliveries, and seasonal support drivers using their own vehicles. Over the past six years, James estimates that UPS has withheld about $45 million from tens of thousands of these workers.

The lawsuit aims to recover back pay and impose penalties on UPS, in addition to seeking a court mandate for the company to halt off-the-clock work practices and revise its timekeeping and payroll systems. UPS, known for its iconic brown trucks and uniforms, reported delivering an average of 22.4 million packages daily and generated $91.1 billion in revenue last year, as stated on their website.

“When we unwrap our holiday gifts, we rarely consider the workers behind the scenes,” James remarked during a news conference about the lawsuit. “Yet, these individuals struggle daily to provide for themselves and their families.”

In response, UPS, headquartered in Georgia, acknowledged the lawsuit and expressed its commitment to addressing allegations. The company firmly denies the claims, stating they have not intentionally underpaid their employees.

“We offer industry-leading pay and benefits to our more than 26,000 employees in New York, and we remain committed to following all applicable laws,” the statement said.

James, a Democrat, said she started investigating UPS in 2023 after an employee union, Teamsters Local 804, raised concerns about the company’s treatment of seasonal workers. Those workers are employed on a temporary basis from October to January.

Josh Pomeranz, the union’s director of operations, said that while there isn’t evidence that the company’s top management was involved in, aware of or condoning alleged wage theft, “these are just certain practices that you have to actively ignore, not to see it happening.”