A former Taco Bell food preparer at Denver International Airport is suing the restaurant's operator over unpaid time spent passing through security and traveling to the restaurant before clocking in. The Colorado state court lawsuit also alleges failures to provide paid rest breaks, according to Law360.
Colorado wage rules specifically include security or safety screening, and waiting for it, among activities that can constitute compensable time worked. The rules also provide circumstances in which travel between work locations must be paid once work has begun.
The lawsuit raises a question about whether required security screening marks the start of the paid workday, and whether the subsequent journey to the restaurant counts as compensable time. At Denver International Airport, clearing security does not necessarily place workers near their workstation.
Taco Bell can argue the screening and journey remain part of the commute. Still, Colorado's express inclusion of security screening in compensable work activities makes this a claim worth taking seriously.
The dispute illustrates a genuine expense associated with operating inside an airport. If employees must be paid while waiting for screening and traveling to the restaurant, the operator absorbs costs before anyone starts preparing food or serving customers. This expense could affect menu prices. Higher operating costs may put pressure on affordable offerings like the $1.70 burritos previously available in Concourse A at Denver International Airport.