Pay for Virus Safety Measures Turns on Varying Wage Laws

Workers who go to court seeking payment for time spent undergoing coronavirus-related safety protocols will see their chances of success vary based on what federal or state wage law they allege their employer violated.

Sanitation procedures, infection testing, and temperature checks could become common as businesses begin restarting operations amid a deadly pandemic. Giant employers like Walmart Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have started checking employees’ temperatures when they get to work.

Lengthy waits for pre-shift safety protocols could become an issue at large facilities with workforces that clock in at the same time, such as warehouses, factories, and food-processing plants, ...