Harvard University is the latest local school that has been slapped with a lawsuit for reportedly paying its employees only once a month.
Weeks after Amherst College was sued for paying workers late, the Cambridge university is facing a lawsuit from the same Massachusetts law firm for similar alleged violations.
Harvard reportedly has a policy of paying its faculty and adjunct faculty members — including professors, lecturers, and fellows — only once at the end of each month, even though these employees did not elect to be paid monthly.
But under Massachusetts state law, employers must pay their employees weekly, bi-weekly, or semi-monthly, according to the lawsuit against Harvard.
“Defendant’s policy results in all wages earned in the first half of each month being paid, at a minimum, approximately ten days late, in violation of the Wage Act,” the lawsuit states.
“Defendant’s illegal payroll policies have resulted in late payment and the unlawful withholding of millions of dollars in wages over the last three years, causing harm to Plaintiff, Kimberly Topping, and all other similarly situated faculty and adjunct faculty employees,” the suit reads.
The leading plaintiff, Topping, has been a Harvard adjunct lecturer since August 2022. She has been paid on the final business day of the month, or at the conclusion of the course taught.
Harvard has never offered Topping an opportunity to get paid on a weekly, bi-weekly, or semi-monthly basis, according to the lawsuit.
For instance, Topping last Oct. 31 was paid $1,250 for the pay period from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31.
“Defendant should have paid Plaintiff in the gross amount of approximately $625.40 no later than October 21, 2024 for the work they performed during the first fifteen days of the month,” the lawsuit states. “Delaying Plaintiff’s salary payment deprived them of those funds in violation of Massachusetts law.
“Throughout their employment within the relevant statute of limitations, Defendant paid Plaintiff approximately $18,000 of their gross wages later than required by law,” the suit reads.
Topping is bringing the lawsuit individually, and on behalf of all other members of the class. The class includes all teaching and academic research employees employed by Harvard who were paid monthly during the last three years.
“The Class is so numerous that joinder of all Class Members is impracticable,” the lawsuit reads. “Upon information and belief, there are hundreds of workers who were employed by Defendant and subjected to the policies and/or practices challenged herein during the period of the claim.”
The lawsuit is calling for Harvard to pay the employees “damages in an amount equal to three times their unpaid and/or late paid wages, plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs.”
The suit is also seeking a permanent injunction that would ban Harvard from continuing the monthly pay policy.
“We do not have a comment to provide on pending litigation,” a Harvard spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.
At the end of 2024, three former workers brought the late pay lawsuit against Amherst College, saying they’re bringing the suit individually and for all other members of the class — which they estimate is hundreds of employees.
That lawsuit, like the Harvard one, was brought by the law firm Hayber, McKenna & Dinsmore, LLC, based in Springfield.
Amherst College reportedly pays its exempt workers on the final business day of each month, even though the workers did not elect to be paid monthly, according to the suit.
One of the employees said she had to “re-allocate her monthly bills because she would not have sufficient funds in her account to cover all of her bills when they came due. This re-allocation resulted in higher monthly bills for certain accounts.”