Ken's Foods Employees Sue Company For PPE Pay

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A group of Ken's Foods employees are suing the dressing giant over compensation related to special gear they wear in manufacturing facilities, according to court documents.

The suit, brought by employees in Marlborough, Nevada, Georgia and Indiana, charges that employees are not being properly compensated for the time they take to put on company-issued personal protective equipment (PPE) while making various sauces and dressings.

According to the lawsuit, employees were required to don the PPE before their shifts started, and take it off after their shifts ended. That resulted in "substantial amounts of time each day" the employees spent without pay on the PPE.

"Employees who elect to participate in this [labor law] collective action seek compensation for all off-the-clock and uncompensated work performed for defendant, and compensation at the appropriate overtime rate for all hours worked in excess of 40 per week, an equal amount for liquidated damages, prejudgment interest, and attorneys’ fees and costs," the lawsuit says.

The case was filed March 13 in federal court, and Ken's Foods had not responded as of Monday, according to court documents.

The company, which makes about 60 sauces and dressings sold at supermarkets nationwide, was born at the namesake Framingham steakhouse along Route 9. The Ken's headquarters and local manufacturing facility is now located in Marlborough, with a nearby distribution center along Route 9 in Southborough. Ken's is the third-largest dressing maker in the U.S. behind Kraft and Wish-Bone.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Ken's makes products for the Newman's Own brand.