Pilgrim's Pride may have unlawfully failed to pay its employees at its chicken processing plants for time spent putting on and taking off sanitary equipment.

Investigation and pending class action lawsuit against Pilgrim's Pride on behalf of employees of Pilgrim's Pride who were denied overtime pay for work at Pilgrim's Pride's chicken processing plants.

These employees were not paid for the time they spend putting on, taking off, cleaning, and sanitizing their sanitary and protective equipment that they must wear to perform their jobs on the chicken-processing line. According to federal law, non-exempt employees have a right to receive pay for all time worked, including overtime pay at one and one-half times their regularly hourly rate for hours worked over 40 per week. The Court's March 13, 2008 order grants the named plaintiffs' motion to certify the case as a collective action, so that they may represent all of those similarly situated who work or have worked for Pilgrim's Pride in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Kentucky.

Chicken processing workers employed by Pilgrim's have filed a number of similar cases challenging the company's refusal to pay its workers for all time spent donning and doffing