13 WTHR IndianapolisSuit planned against hotel staffing company

We're 27 days away from one of the biggest events in Indianapolis' history. And as the city prepares, a shake-up in the city's hospitality industry is taking place. Later today, two dozen hospitality workers are filing suit against an employment agency for some marquee hotels.

The timing, less than a month before the Super Bowl, was not planned, according to the plaintiffs attorney. He claims he's only trying to get these workers the pay they earned.

The 14 workers allege that Hospitality Staffing Solutions, which contracts workers out to hotels like the Conrad, the Marriott chains, and others, underpays its employees.

Jeffrey Macey represents the workers. "Based on our investigation," Macey told Eyewitness News, "this isn't confined to the 14 people in the lawsuit. What we're going to do is ask the court to allow other former and current employees to opt in if they've been underpaid."

The suit is expected to be filed Monday morning and alleges that housekeepers, food service employees, and others in hospitality were not getting paid for the 40 hours they worked, or told they would not be paid overtime even if they worked more than 40 hours. 
    
Ten major hotels are expected to be named in the lawsuit, which also alleges that Hospitality Staffing Solutions interfered with workers' abilities to find work elsewhere. 
    
And the group could be entitled to as much as $10-million in back pay.

In addition to filing suit, a protest is planned by the plaintiffs at 10 a.m. Monday outside HSS offices in the 800 block of Ft. Wayne Avenue.

Fernando Gomez has worked at the Marriott for five months. He says he noticed he wasn't getting paid for four hours each week. Gomez said that's money, "I need to live on...monthly expenses, for this agency is stealing money." Gomez claims that makes it, "really difficult to live on monthly basis. (I) can barely stretch the check every month."

Hospitality Staffing Solutions CEO Rick Holliday, interviewed by phone, said this was the first he'd heard of any problems employees had with pay and that they have a system in place for complaints. He also says he think's the timing is suspect.
    
While the attorney says the Super Bowl had nothing to do with the timing, a press release did mention that hotels are slated to make millions during the week of the Super Bowl.