A suit filed in a U.S District Court on behalf of 231 hourly workers at Smithfield Foods' Smithfield, Va., plant alleges the workers are unpaid for between 30 and 45 minutes of work daily.

According to court documents, the workers, represented by the Teamsters Local 822, are or were all assigned to the facility's kill floor, cut floor or packaging department. The suit alleges the unpaid work consists of:

• approximately 10 to 15 minutes donning equipment before they begin their shift;
• approximately 15 minutes walking from the punch-out areas to the washing facility, removing and storing protective equipment;
• approximately 15 minutes handling and processing hog carcasses after USDA stamps the final pigs off the production line;
• donning and doffing protective equipment for meal breaks.

A Smithfield spokesman told Meatingplace.com the company has not viewed the suit and has no comment