Employee sues to get compensation for travel time to job site

A collective lawsuit has been filed against a construction company for not paying its employees for their travel time to and from a job site.

Claiming violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Oscar Miranda filed suit against Becon Construction Co. Inc. on March 15 in the Eastern District of Texas, Beaumont Division.

Miranda states Becon Construction violated federal law by not compensating its employees for their travel time to the Motiva facility in Port Arthur.

According to the lawsuit, the employees were required to report for work at a certain location and time and then they would be transported on a bus to the Motiva facility. Each day, the time spent in transit was approximately 30 minutes, the suit states.

The lawsuit is a collective action which will include all of the defendant's employees who worked at the Motiva job from Feb. 2, 2008.

The plaintiff is seeking damages for wages not properly paid, liquidated damages, attorney's fees, interest and court costs.

Miranda is represented by John Werner of Reaud, Morgan & Quinn in Beaumont.

U.S. District Judge Ron Clark is assigned to the case.

Case No. 1:11-cv-00128