A driver for a high-speed rail project funded in part through federal "stimulus" funds has filed a putative class action lawsuit against his employer, alleging he was not paid adequate wages for the work he performed.
John Garecht filed a lawsuit Feb. 24 in Madison County Circuit Court against Professional Transportation, Inc. and Ronald D. Romain.
Garecht claims he was working for defendant, which contracted for the Illinois high-speed rail project, and as part of his job he was required to provide ground transportation services to the Union Pacific Railroad for a public works project designed to allow passenger trains to travel between St. Louis and Chicago at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour, according to the complaint.
Due to federal funding supplied for the project, via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, all employees associated with it should have been paid the same wages as public employees for the county in which they worked, the complaint says. However, Garecht claims he did not receive sufficient funds.
Garecht is seeking a certification of his lawsuit as a class action lawsuit. He also is seeking statutory damages of 2 percent per month of the wages due to him and other plaintiffs, pre-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees and other relief the court deems just.
He is being represented by Joel A. Kunin and Mark M. Silvermintz of The Kunin Law Offices in Collinsville.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 14-L-296.