Former Everett mechanic alleges unpaid labor against Boeing

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 7, 2026

EVERETT — A class action lawsuit from a former mechanic at Boeing’s Everett plant alleges the aerospace company failed to compensate employees for their hours worked.

Initially filed in Snohomish County Superior Court in February, lawyers for Boeing transferred the lawsuit Friday to the U.S. District Court in Seattle.

The complaint alleges Boeing violated state law by “knowingly and willfully” permitting employees like the plaintiff to work off the clock without proper compensation, according to court documents.

The class action lawsuit is on behalf of current and former hourly or non-exempt Boeing employees who were allegedly denied proper payment for all the hours they worked, proper reimbursement for business expenses, compliant meal breaks, rest periods and were subject to improper timekeeping practices within the last three years.

The complaint estimates the number of people eligible for the class action is approximately 5,000 individuals.

A spokesperson for Boeing declined to comment Tuesday.

The plaintiff, who is a Bothell resident, earned $39.20 per hour and typically worked five days a week for seven and a half hours with a 30-minute unpaid meal period, court documents said.

The complaint alleges that the company’s policies and practices led to employees not being paid for all time worked, such as when finding parking, walking approximately 10 minutes to the facility, obtaining equipment from the locker room and putting on safety gear, which can take up to 10 to 20 minutes each day.

Employees are required to take meal breaks at scheduled times, which are sometimes interrupted, cut short or forced to be taken later because of meetings and trainings, court documents said. Employees’ pay still reflects the 30-minute break, the lawsuit said.

Additionally, “the plaintiff is informed and therefore alleges that Class Members are required to attend similar trainings and meetings on weekends without compensation,” court documents said.

Boeing pressured employees to use meal periods for restroom use instead of using the restroom as reasonably necessary, court documents said. The pressure to work until a meal break allegedly discourages employees from taking regular mandated rest breaks.

Rounding practices Boeing used in its timekeeping policies allegedly resulted in uncompensated time, due to the three-minute grace period for clocking in. After the grace period passed, it rounded to six minutes. The complaint alleges this led workers to use paid time off, risk being subject to disciplinary action and losing several minutes of compensation per shift.

When employees received overtime compensation, the rate did not reflect their regular rate of pay “because, for example, the regular rate of pay does not include all non-discretionary bonuses,” court documents said.

The complaint asks for monetary relief and an order preventing Boeing from retaliating against members of the lawsuit, court documents said.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan