A collective action has been filed in Louisiana against the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board. The action is brought on behalf of all former and current employees who have worked in excess of 40 hours a week, but who have not been paid overtime by St. John. The action is brought under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and is seeking back pay, statutory and liquidated damages. As a collective action, all potential claimants are required to "opt-in" to the action in order to be considered eligible claimants. The employees have requested that the court issue notice to all potential claimants.

According to employees, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board has engaged in a systematic and intentional pattern of disregarding federal law in the manner in which they compensate school workers. These workers perform jobs such as assistant coaches, teacher's assistants, cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, bookkeepers and maintenance workers. They are paid hourly and are not exempt from overtime compensation under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The employees allege that in the normal course of their employment, they commonly work well in excess of 40 hours a week. The employees additionally claim that besides often working beyond eight hours in a normal day, they are frequently called upon for special activities, which they allege they are not compensated for.

The workers assert that St. John has kept them intentionally misinformed regarding their positions, and this is how the board has been able to defraud the workers of overtime pay. According to the workers, these actions allegedly continue to this day and entitle them to liquidated damages.