On April 28, 2016, a former completions consultant filed a lawsuit in the Western District Court of Pennsylvania seeking overtime pay from EQT Production Company ("EQT"). He brought the case on behalf of himself and all other similarly situated completions consultants nationwide who were paid a day rate with no additional overtime premium. Plaintiff's complaint alleges that EQT unlawfully classified these workers as independent contractors and failed to pay them an overtime premium in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act. The lawsuit seeks overtime premiums, plus double damages.
EQT is an oil and natural gas company with its principal focus on exploration and production activities in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky. EQT owns and operates 3.4 million acres of land and 13,000 miles of pipeline. It is a subsidiary of EQT Corporation and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Plaintiff's attorney Alex Baggio stated, "EQT exerted significant control over these workers and demanded they work long hours in the field for weeks at a time. By misclassifying them as independent contractors, EQT denied them overtime premiums and other benefits and protections employees should receive. Through this lawsuit, we seek to get them paid the overtime premiums provided by law."
Plaintiffs are represented by Paul J. Lukas and Alex M. Baggio from Nichols Kaster, PLLP in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The case is entitled Barnett v. EQT Production Company, Case No 2:16-cv-00531 (Western District of Pennsylvania).
Additional information about how to make a claim in the case may be found at www.nka.com or by calling Nichols Kaster, PLLP toll free at (877) 344-4628.
