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Pennsylvania Warehouse Workers: That Security Line Is Time You Should Be Paid For

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has held that time your employer requires you to spend on the premises — waiting for and going through mandatory security screening — is paid work time under Pennsylvania law, even though federal law says otherwise.

Time limits apply to wage claims. Each pay period that passes, the oldest week of your claim can expire. A free case review will tell you your deadline.
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⚖️ Legally reviewed by Paul M. Botros, Esq. — Employment & Wage Law Attorney, Licensed in Florida & Texas · Last updated July 13, 2026

What Pennsylvania's Highest Court Decided

For years, warehouse employers relied on a federal rule that time spent in security screenings before or after a shift doesn't have to be paid. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court — answering questions from a federal appeals court in a case brought by Pennsylvania warehouse workers — held that Pennsylvania law is broader than federal law: under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act, all time an employee is required to be on the employer's premises counts as hours worked. That includes waiting for and undergoing mandatory security screening.

What that means in plain English: if your employer makes you be there — in the screening line, at the bag check, walking from the security checkpoint to your time clock — those minutes are work time under Pennsylvania law. If they push your week past 40 hours, they are unpaid overtime. The key word is required: time you choose to spend on site for your own convenience doesn't count, but time the company demands does.

Why Pennsylvania Is Different

Federal law (through the Portal-to-Portal Act) excludes many "preliminary" activities from paid time, and the U.S. Supreme Court applied that to warehouse security screenings in 2014. Pennsylvania never adopted those exclusions. And the Pennsylvania Supreme Court went one step further: there is no "de minimis" exception under Pennsylvania law. Employers can't ignore your time just because it's "only" a few minutes — every required minute, every shift, must be paid.

Does This Sound Like Your Shift?

Ten to fifteen unpaid minutes per shift sounds small. Across a year of five-day weeks it's 40 to 65 hours of unpaid time — and if you already work 40-hour weeks, those are overtime hours. Pennsylvania's warehouse corridors — the Lehigh Valley, the I-78/I-81 belt, greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh — run on exactly these shift patterns.

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What Pennsylvania Law Lets You Recover

3-Year Look-Back

Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act claims reach back three years — a full extra year of back pay compared to a standard federal claim.

Every Minute Counts

Pennsylvania rejects the federal "de minimis" rule. Even a few minutes per shift must be paid — and at overtime rates when you're over 40 hours.

The Employer Pays the Fees

On a successful claim, Pennsylvania law makes the employer pay costs and reasonable attorney fees. And where parts of your case are also covered by federal law — like required gear-up time or timeclock rounding — those hours can qualify for double damages.

Because these pay practices come from a single facility-wide policy — one screening process, one building layout, one time-clock system — they affect entire workforces the same way. That is why they are often pursued as class or collective cases rather than one worker at a time.

Calculate Your Unpaid Overtime

Get an estimate of what you're owed in just 60 seconds. This calculator is based on federal FLSA laws and includes liquidated damages (double your unpaid wages).

How Are You Paid?

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Default is 1 year (52 weeks). Adjust if different.

Did You Perform Work Off-the-Clock?

This includes work before/after shifts, during breaks, or from home that wasn't recorded or paid.

This calculation is an estimate based on applicable labor laws. Your actual recovery may vary based on state laws and specific circumstances.

Paul leads every case personally — strategy, negotiations, and courtroom work. Outside Texas and Florida, he appears by pro hac vice admission (the standard court permission that lets an out-of-state attorney litigate your case) and works alongside local counsel who handle state-specific procedure. This is how national wage-and-hour cases are litigated everywhere — your case is never simply referred out.

Get Your Free Pennsylvania Wage Case Review

Tell us about your shift — where the unpaid minutes are, and how often. We'll tell you what Pennsylvania law says. No obligation.

Paul M. Botros, Employment Law Attorney

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Paul M. Botros — Employment & wage law attorney. 15+ years focused on unpaid wages: thousands of workers helped, millions recovered. Licensed in Texas and Florida, handling wage cases in federal courts nationwide. When you submit this form, it comes directly to me.

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Pennsylvania Warehouse Pay FAQ

Is time in a warehouse security line paid time in Pennsylvania?

Yes — if the screening is required. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act, all time an employee is required to be on the employer's premises counts as hours worked, including time spent waiting for and undergoing mandatory security screening.

My employer says federal law makes screening time unpaid. Are they right?

They may be right about federal law and still owe you under Pennsylvania law. The U.S. Supreme Court held in 2014 that federal law does not require pay for security screenings. But Pennsylvania's Supreme Court confirmed that Pennsylvania law is broader — it never adopted the federal Portal-to-Portal exclusions. Pennsylvania workers can recover under state law even where a federal claim would fail.

Does walking time inside the warehouse count?

It can. In big fulfillment centers, the walk from the entrance or security checkpoint to your time clock can take several minutes each way. Because Pennsylvania counts time you are required to be on the premises as hours worked, that required walking time can be compensable — unlike under federal law.

It's only a few minutes a day. Is that too small to matter?

No. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court expressly rejected the federal "de minimis" rule — there is no exception for small amounts of time under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act. A few required minutes every shift must be paid, and across a workforce and a 3-year look-back, they add up fast.

How far back can a Pennsylvania wage claim go?

Three years. A claim under the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act generally must be brought within three years of the underpayment — one year longer than a standard federal claim. Each week that passes can drop the oldest week off the back of your claim, so waiting has a real cost.

What can I actually recover?

The unpaid wages themselves — at overtime rates for hours over 40 — going back up to three years, plus costs and reasonable attorney fees paid by the employer on a successful claim. Depending on the facts, Pennsylvania's wage collection law can add 25% liquidated damages, and hours that also violate federal law — gear-up time, rounding, off-the-clock meetings — can qualify for federal double damages on top.

Does this apply to temp and staffing-agency warehouse workers?

Often, yes. Pennsylvania wage law protects employees whether they are hired directly or placed through a staffing agency, and both the agency and the warehouse operator may bear responsibility depending on who controls the work. A free case review can sort out who is on the hook.

Can I be fired for joining a wage case?

Retaliation for asserting wage rights is illegal under both federal and Pennsylvania law. Workers who are fired, disciplined, or have hours cut for raising wage claims may have additional claims on top of the unpaid wages. And the case review is free, confidential, and contingency-based — no fee unless we win.

Related Resources

Pennsylvania Overtime Laws Portal-to-Portal Act Unpaid Overtime Illinois Warehouse Screening Time