Former employee alleges mandatory gear-up time went uncompensated across US plants
McCormick & Company faces allegations it failed to compensate more than 1,000 factory workers for up to 40 minutes of required daily tasks.
A former production coordinator has taken the spice giant to federal court in Maryland, claiming the company has been systematically underpaying its manufacturing workforce across the country.
Keon Williams, who worked at McCormick's Hunt Valley plant from approximately August 22, 2022 to July 16, 2025, filed the lawsuit on November 12, 2025 in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He says the company violated federal wage laws by compensating employees only for time between their scheduled shifts, ignoring the substantial work required before and after those hours.
The allegations paint a picture familiar to many HR professionals managing hourly workforces. Williams says McCormick required manufacturing employees to show up early and stay late for tasks the company deemed essential but did not compensate.
Each day, according to the filing, workers spent upwards of approximately 30 minutes or more before their shifts donning an extensive array of protective gear: respirators, uniforms, gloves, safety glasses, steel-toed boots, hair nets or beard nets, and earplugs. They also had to sanitize their boots by walking through a boot scrubber, wash their hands at a handwashing station, and walk to their assigned spots on the...
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