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Lawsuit: Transit firm failed to give proper breaks

September 22, 2008

The company that employed the engineer blamed for the deadly Metrolink train collision faces a class-action lawsuit by two of its workers for allegedly not giving employees proper rest breaks, overtime and other benefits. Veolia Transportation has been under scrutiny since its engineer crashed his Metrolink commuter train into a freight on Sept. 12, killing 25 people.

Federal investigators are reviewing whether fatigue played a role in the collision, since the engineer was in the midst of a 10½-hour split shift and ran a red light that could have prevented the crash.

Two Veolia bus drivers filed lawsuits in May and June against the French firm, but the cases have been consolidated into a class-action lawsuit involving all of the company’s California employees, said Brian Kabateck, a lead attorney in the case, on Friday. “These drivers weren’t being given meal breaks, rest breaks and often not being given the opportunity to take a bathroom break,” Kabateck said. “If they were hungry, they were told they could eat their lunch on their lap while driving.”

The lawsuit, first reported by the Daily Journal of Los Angeles, also alleges drivers were not paid overtime after working eight hours and that the company did not pay all wages when an employee’s position was terminated.

Read Article Mercury News

Posted By Phoenix Accident Injury Attorneys </a

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