{"text":"\"A three-member panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Aug. 6 in an appeal by Walmart Transportation of a $54 million jury damage award in 2016.\n\nThe case involves a class-action lawsuit filed by hundreds of former Walmart longhaul drivers who sought payment for 10-hour layover shifts and other employee tasks from 2007-2015.\n\nWalmart attorneys have raised multiple core issues in the appeal. One is whether a federal district court judge’s jury instructions improperly influenced the jury’s decision in favor of the drivers. Another is the relevance of a recent Department of Labor opinion letter that the time drivers spend in sleeper berths does not count as compensable time, unless they are actually performing work or are on call.\n\nThe plaintiffs in the case are former truck drivers in California employed by Walmart who went to trial on their minimum wage claims in 2016. They alleged that Walmart violated California’s minimum wage law by failing to pay class members the minimum wage for 11 tasks.\n\nRead more: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/walmart-fights-54-million-lawsuit-verdict-awarding-drivers-sleeper-berth-pay\"","videos":"[]","link":"{}","pics":"[]","canComment":true}