Ever wish you had a dollar for every minute you spent goingthrough the airport security screenings? If a ruling by the NinthCircuit U.S. Court is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, you may getyour wish — if going through security is an unavoidable part ofyour job and it benefits your employer.

As reported on the Mondaq.com news portal, the matter arose fromclaims made by employees of Integrity Staffing Solutions. Theyargued that they should be compensated for the time they spentgoing through on-site security screenings after they had completedtheir shifts. They said the screenings, designed to thwart employeetheft, were required by the company and benefited the company byreducing employee theft. Therefore, they argued, they should bepaid for the time.

Their claims were made under auspices of the Fair LaborStandards Act. At the district level, the court supportedIntegrity's request for a dismissal on grounds that the screeningswere “postliminary” to the employees' work and thus not compensableunder existing law. Prior ruling had supported not compensatingworkers for “preliminary” and “postliminary” activities, accordingto the Mondaq.com writers.