HASTINGS, Neb. — A Hastings meat packing plant is being forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to workers who a judge says were unfairly denied compensation.

A U.S. District Court judge issued a consent judgment in late December ordering Noah’s Ark Processors LLC, which does business as WR Reserve in Hastings, to pay workers for pre and post-shift work that happened between September, 2021 and February, 2023. According to a news release, the U.S. Department of Labor has since recovered $230,000 for 545 workers.

The release says the the company paid workers when they started task work on a “gang shift” on the kill, offal, fabrication and kosher floors. The company didn’t pay workers for several minutes a day spent donning and removing protective gear and equipment cleaning time. The judge ruled that violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“The federal court’s ruling reinforces that employers must pay their workers for time preparing for and completing shift work. These compensable minutes each day add up to real dollars in workers’ pockets,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Marietta Taylor. “Many of the workers in this case may not have understood their rights under federal wage laws. It is the legal responsibility of employers to pay workers all their earned wages and provide wage information in a language understood by the employee.”

WR Reserve is in the midst of planning a $43 million addition to its plant. The expansion is expected to add up to 40 new jobs and build an 11,000 square foot addition onto the current 82,000 square foot facility.