U.S. Supreme Court provides decision on changing clothes

The high court of the U.S. decided that time spent by workers changing

in and out of protective gear isn't compensable.

This major ruling may be favorable to business owners and managers in the steel manufacturing field.

The resolution of the class-action suit that involved about 800 employees of a major steel producer means that company is off the

hook for paying out pay based on missed time and attendance, according to government news site AllGov.

The Supreme Court decided that existing provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mean that donning and doffing time, as clothes-changing periods are referred to, should be compensated but are also

open to customary or explicit decisions made by labor unions and companies.

Mutual agreements in labor contracts supersede this specific FLSA provision, according to labor attorney Natalie F. Hrubos of firm Duane

Morris LLP.

The high court specifically ruled that of the varied protective equipment used by the steel workers, a few items did not technically

qualify as clothes and did not fall under the provision

However, the amount of time spent putting on the items - including protective goggles and ear plugs - was too minute to measure.

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