Bank of America Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Unpaid Time for Windows Bootup, Logins, and Security Token Requests (hcamag.com)
- Reference: 0180004056
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/11/08/0836254/bank-of-america-faces-lawsuit-over-alleged-unpaid-time-for-windows-bootup-logins-and-security-token-requests
- Source link: https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/employment-law/bank-of-america-faces-lawsuit-over-alleged-unpaid-computer-boot-up-time/554302
> Tava Martin, who worked both remotely and at the company's Jacksonville facility, says the financial institution required her and fellow hourly workers to log into multiple security systems, download spreadsheets, and connect to virtual private networks — all before the clock started ticking on their workday. The process wasn't quick. According to the filing in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, employees needed 15 to 30 minutes each morning just to get their systems running. When technical problems occurred, it took even longer...
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> Workers turned on their computers, waited for Windows to load, grabbed their cell phones to request a security token for the company's VPN, waited for that token to arrive, logged into the network, opened required web applications with separate passwords, and downloaded the Excel files they needed for the day. Only then could they start taking calls from business customers about regulatory reporting requirements...
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> The unpaid work didn't stop at startup. During unpaid lunch breaks, many systems would automatically disconnect or otherwise lose connection, forcing employees to repeat portions of the login process — approximately three to five minutes of uncompensated time on most days, sometimes longer when a complete reboot was required. After shifts ended, workers had to log out of all programs and shut down their computers securely, adding another two to three minutes.
Thanks to Slashdot reader [2]Joe_Dragon for sharing the article.
[1] https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/employment-law/bank-of-america-faces-lawsuit-over-alleged-unpaid-computer-boot-up-time/554302
[2] https://www.slashdot.org/~Joe_Dragon
That why SLEEP was invented (Score:2)
Not for consumers at home.
Working in the late '90s to early '00s (Score:2)
I would start working when I walked through the door, Since my machine was only mine, I'd turn it on on mondays, endure the 20min boot + Opening of apps (+ Memory dumping process*), and turn it off on fridays, ah, good times
* After booting and opening all your "workworse apps", you would call a script that would request 85% to 90% of the total RAM of the machine, forcing everything to SWAP. Afterwards, slowly, things would come back from swap, but only the really usefull stuff, all the flaff (codepaths seld
Buzzkill (Score:2)
I'd rather lay bricks rather than do this nonsense flimsy ritual that makes you hate computers.
Re: 47 seconds (Score:2)
> Leave computer on or suspended. 0 sec
Can't do that. The computers need to be fully shut down before they leave for the day. So every day they are turning the machine on and waiting for the full boot process.
Infosec incentivized for compliance, not work (Score:1)
Which especially creates friction in engineering organizations.
Yes I need root access on my machine. So naturally instead of working, I have to waste time sitting through root user trainings and documenting that yes I do have root access to my machine that sits on my desk in my office that I have to badge through the front door to even get to.
Re: (Score:2)
> Which especially creates friction in engineering organizations.
> Yes I need root access on my machine. So naturally instead of working, I have to waste time sitting through root user trainings and documenting that yes I do have root access to my machine that sits on my desk in my office that I have to badge through the front door to even get to.
wtf are you even babbling about here? Your root privileges to your workstation aren't risk free just because you have to badge into your office. No wonder they've got you sitting through multiple security training meetings -- they clearly clocked you as a fucking moron
Re: Infosec incentivized for compliance, not work (Score:1)
My root privileges on my workstation that I can literally pop open and reimage present absolutely zero marginal security risk.
But what if a malicious website executes malicious code from my user account?
Well then it's gonna own my box. Which will let it do what?
Hack other boxes on the LAN? Can already do that without root access.
Exflitrate business data? That doesn't require root.
Steal credentials? Stored as user read only, no root required.
Again: if the end result is I get root access either way, but I sta
OMG! They had to wait for a token to arrive??? (Score:2)
> grabbed their cell phones to request a security token for the company's VPN, waited for that token to arrive,
Melodramatically complaining about a 0.1ms wait isn't going to help their case
Re: (Score:2)
Melodramatically complaining about a 0.1ms
You have to know it takes much longer than 0.1ms to receive the SMS text messages containing a token.
Anyway it doesn't matter if it's 0.1ms or 8 hours. Wages are required to include all time spent on work-related activities required by the employer,
and rounding of times can only be performed when the system is both reasonable and does not consistently disfavor the employee.
Consistently shaving off a second of an employee's compensated time per day from when they ar
Remote work (Score:2)
Maybe she should have worked in the office instead, because we all know that all the companies pay for our commute time.
Re: (Score:2)
The job I had when Covid hit, it took me 20-25 mins to get to and from work, call it 45-50 minutes a day. For that, I had a work environment far more convenient than the one at home, in particular when it came to breakfast and the midday meal, I could also wander across the corridor and talk to some of the specialists I frequently interfaced with.
I did work from home occasionally - especially when it was evenings or nights, or the roads were icy - but it was not my first choice.
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly!
Are the "win PCs" BofA owned PCs or employee owned (Score:2)
I think that might matter. Running software through something like a citrix session via a secure connection on their home PC might negate any "when did they actually start working" argument. Much like I don't start getting paid the moment I hop in my car to go to work.
Kind of like a "digital" comminute.
Even worse ... (Score:2)
Employees only got paid for their time during mouse and key presses, not releases.
yep (Score:2)
as someone who worked at a call center with really crap pcs .. a while. Luckly we just had time sheets we filled out and the bosses knew that ya we start at 8 but we don't take a call till 8:20 because it takes that long to get everything logged in.
Wage theft is bigger (Score:2)
Then all the other theft combined. Look it up. Corporations steal more from you than any Petty criminal ever has or ever will.
What? how long can that possibly take? (Score:4, Interesting)
Oh, it's Windows. Nevermind .. my bad. That said, how long did it take for them to realize they weren't being paid for that time? If you knew the terms for which you're being paid why did you stick to the job longer than say 4 to 8 weeks (the time it takes to find a new gig). I mean, I used to work at companies where parking was sparse .. did they owe me for the time I spent hunting for a parking spot? If I didn't like it I could quit and find a McDonald's to work at. If the company had to pay for that time, they ould just make my salary lower to adjust.
Class action lawsuits are way for lawyers to make money.
Re: (Score:2)
We should also deport people who lack basic logic skills and can't handle factual information. I was stating an actual reality. If any company knows it has to pay you for waiting for Windows to load, they would adjust for that in your salary offer. That's a fact.
Re: (Score:2)
The only thing that I can agree with in your entire post is the last line. It's pretty much a given that if they win employees will get pennies on the dollar, and the leeches will get millions.
Re: (Score:2)
Are both parties aware? Your post is false equivalency. Flight attendants for example only get paid for the time for when the airplane doors close until landing. They don't get paid for the fixed time spent traversing through the airport. They don't get paid for any pre-flight task such as prepping the cabin or boardingin passengers. Both parties are aware of those employment conditions and agreed to it. It's vastly different than "theft" which occurs without full disclosure.
Re: (Score:3)
if you knew the terms for which you're being paid why did you stick to the job longer than say 4 to 8
Because you need money for you or your family to survive, possibly. And it may take you MUCH longer than 8 weeks to successfully obtain a replacement role that is any better.
It doesn't matter.. It is illegal for the employer. Not the part about waiting for Windows to boot, but failure to start the work clock including the time when the employee's duties start -- which includes all time taken for all nece
Re: (Score:2)
So you support wage theft. Awesome. You're part of the problem!
Re: What? how long can that possibly take? (Score:1)
> did they owe me for the time I spent hunting for a parking spot?
Would you have been parking outside their offices if you weren't employed by them?
I suspect not which means they motivated/coerced that action by the promise to pay so they should pay for it.
Anything you do for an employer which you wouldn't do without that employment relationship should be payable by them.
Re: (Score:2)
> If you knew the terms for which you're being paid why did you stick to the job longer than say 4 to 8 weeks (the time it takes to find a new gig).
The average job search hasn't been that short in years.