J.B. Hunt to pay $4.2 million to driver applicants to settle job postings lawsuit

Trucking company J.B. Hunt agreed to pay certain job applicants millions of dollars to settle a class action lawsuit out of Washington state.

J.B. Hunt agreed to pay $4,261,250 to settle a class action suit (Haley v. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc.), including approximately 2200 people, according to court documents filed July 12, 2024, in King County, Washington.

The lawsuit accused JB Hunt of violating Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act by failing to properly disclose wages or salary ranges in job postings.

The Equal Pay and Opportunities Act went into effect in January 2023 and requires employers engaging in business in Washington state to include a wage scale or salary range in job postings.

According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, job postings must include a pay range extending from the lowest to the highest pay established by the employer prior to posting the job, such as $60,000-$80,000 per year, and should not include open-ended phrases such as “$60,000/per year and up” (with no top of the range), or “up to $29.00/hour” (with no bottom of the scale.

The Equal Pay and Opportunities Act allows workers to sue if employers fail to include proper pay information in job listings.

The class includes individuals who applied for a job at J.B. Hunt in Washington between January 1, 2023, and March 19, 2024.

A final approval hearing is scheduled for November 1, 2024.