HASTINGS, NEB. – The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced that it recovered $230,000 in compensation for 545 workers following an investigation at Noah’s Ark Processor LLC.

The division said that Noah’s Ark started task work on a “gang shift” with various areas of the plant like the kill, offal, fabrication, and kosher floors. 

DOL stated that this practice did not count worker pay for several minutes a day before and after shifts.

The investigation found these violations went from at least Sept. 6, 2021, through Feb. 4, 2023.

On Dec. 21, 2023, US District Court Judge John M. Gerrad for the District of Nebraska, Omaha Division issued a consent judgment and order requiring the meat processor to pay the monies owed to the workers.

The judge also said that Noah’s Ark needed to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act in the future.

“The federal court’s ruling reinforces that employers must pay their workers for time preparing for and completing shift work. These compensable minutes each day add up to real dollars in workers’ pockets,” said Marietta Taylor, Wage and Hour Division district director. “Many of the workers in this case may not have understood their rights under federal wage laws. It is the legal responsibility of employers to pay workers all their earned wages and provide wage information in a language understood by the employee.”

The court document showed that within 30 days of the consent order Noah’s Ark needed to make a payment of $19,166.67. The company then needs to make 11 more payments in consecutive months.