Lawsuit for Wabtec, Knorr-Bremse and Faiveley Employees Over “No-Poaching” Agreements
Last Updated on May 1, 2020
Investigation Complete
Attorneys working with ClassAction.org have finished their investigation into this matter.
Check back for any potential updates and take a look at our open investigations here. The information on this page is for reference only.
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Current and former employees of Knorr-Bremse AG, Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (Wabtec), and Faiveley Transport S.A. – and any of their subsidiaries. These subsidiaries include Knorr Brake Co., New York Air Brake Corp., Wabtec Passenger Transit, S.A. and Faiveley Transport North America.
- What’s Going On?
- The Department of Justice just settled charges with Knorr-Bremse and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies over allegations that they entered into illegal agreements not to poach each other’s employees. Now, a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of current and former employees who were subjected to these policies.
A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of employees of these companies in light of a recent investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that found the companies had illegal, “no-poaching” agreements to not recruit or hire each other’s employees. Read on for more.
What’s Going On?
On April 3, 2018, the DOJ entered into a settlement agreement with Knorr-Bremse AG and Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation – also known as Wabtec – following its investigation into their “no-poaching” agreements. Shortly after, a class action lawsuit was filed.
What’s All This Mean for Me?
The DOJ’s settlement with the companies requires that they terminate their illegal agreements; however, it does not provide compensation for current and former workers who were subjected to these policies.
That’s why a class action was filed – to help workers seek compensation for the damage done by the allegedly unlawful policies. “No-poaching” agreements can be illegal and harmful for employees in that they can restrict workers’ opportunities to collectively bargain, encourage below-market wages and contribute to a lack of competition in the job market.
What Types of Workers Are Affected?
It is believed that the following employees may have been harmed by the no-poaching agreements:
- Project managers
- Engineers
- Sales executives
- Corporate officers
This list is not exhaustive.
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