Ruling in Brink’s case may affect many workers
OLYMPIA — Workers in a range of service jobs could be in line for more money after the state Supreme Court’s ruling that some commuters must be paid for their drive time, lawyers said.
In a 7-2 decision Thursday, the court said technicians for Brink’s Home Security Inc. had to be paid for the hours spent driving company trucks between job sites and their homes.
That upheld a legal victory for a class representing about 70 Brink’s Home Security Inc. technicians, who were awarded $1.4 million in back wages, interest and attorney’s fees after suing Brink’s in November 2002.
“It has a potentially broad impact for any employer that requires or encourages employees to take their (vehicles) home,” plaintiffs’ attorney Martin Garfinkel said.
That could mean anyone from the cable guy to the construction-site manager, along with almost any installation or repair workers who make house calls, said Kris Tefft, a lawyer for the Association of Washington Business.
Steilacoom: Freight train jumps tracks
A freight train derailed early Thursday, halting passenger train traffic on both sets of tracks on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe main line and temporarily blocking access to a ferry terminal south of Tacoma.
The 95-car train with was going less than 45 mph when 13 cars jumped the tracks around 3 a.m. at a crossing on the road leading to the ferry terminal, BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said. No one was injured. Normal ferry operations resumed shortly before 9 a.m., officials said.
One of the derailed cars contained ethylene glycol, a component of antifreeze considered a hazardous substance, but remained upright and did not leak, Melonas said. Emergency vessels in Puget Sound placed a containment boom around the area where the derailment occurred in case contaminants spilled into the water, Melonas said.
BNSF expected to reopen one of the two blocked rail lines late in the day today, and it was not clear how soon the second line would reopen, Melonas said.
Olympia: Reed plans to run for re-election
Secretary of State Sam Reed has announced he is seeking a third term.
Reed, one of only three statewide Republican elected officials, kicked off his campaign for re-election Thursday in Bellevue.
Reed says he wants to bring more transparency to state government, deliver more election information to voters and provide better access to state history.
Associated Press
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