Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp

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In Brief

The Court held that the anti-retaliation provision of the FLSA protects both oral and written complaints from employees who believe that their employer is violating the act.

What Happened in Court

Kasten, an employee of Saint-Gobain, complained that his employer positioned its timeclocks between areas where workers put on their protective gear and where they carried out their assignments.  Kasten complained that, as a result, employees were not paid for the time spent putting and taking off their equipment.  The question before the Court was whether an employee’s oral complaints constitute protected conduct under the FLSA.  The Court answered the question in the affirmative, finding that both written and oral complaints are protected under the FLSA.