Amazon Loses Security-Check Pay Suit at Pennsylvania High Court

Amazon.com Inc. and other employers in Pennsylvania must pay workers for time spent waiting for and going through mandatory security screenings after their shifts, the commonwealth’s top court ruled Wednesday.

Amazon requires the workers to remain in the warehouse until they complete the security checks, so this time qualifies as hours worked under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act, the court said in a 5-2 decision.

The PMWA explicitly states that “hours worked” includes “any time when an employee is required by the employer to be on the premises of the employer,” the court said. Workers don’t have to be actively ...