Newton man in lawsuit alleging no pay for Per Mar OT

Attorneys representing uniformed security personnel recently filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa against Per Mar Security Services for alleged violations of federal labor law. 

Per Mar Security Services, which provides security services to hundreds of businesses in the States of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin, is allegedly denying overtime compensation owed to its officers. Per Mar has been employed in Newton to help with traffic during Iowa Speedway racing events.

The named plaintiffs in this collective action include Eugene Hansen of Newton and Mike Davis of Oskaloosa. The pair are uniformed security personnel employed by Per Mar Security.

“Security personnel like Eugene Hansen find themselves in dangerous situations in this job,” said attorney Jon Tostrud.  “It is unconscionable that private security officers who are prepared to risk ‘life and limb’ should be denied pay when they work before and after their scheduled shifts engaging in such job-required tasks as maintaining their uniforms and equipment and filing paperwork.”

According to the complaint, each of these officers, who seek to represent several thousand other Per Mar Security personnel, have not been paid for the time they expend to do work-related tasks such as:

• Working before the start of their scheduled shift checking out equipment, lining up for inspection, preparing paperwork, reviewing post orders and receiving pass down and other instructions for their shift, amongst other things;

• Staying past the end of their scheduled shift working on an assignment or waiting as a holdover for the next scheduled security officers to arrive and passing down instructions to them:

 • Complying with Defendants’ dress code policy by shining boots and other leather items, cleaning, pressing and maintaining shirts, pants, jackets, hats, badges and other equipment.

The security officers’ lawsuit seeks all of the pay they are owed with interest, among other remedies.