Workers for the Iowa Beef Processors, Inc. (IBP, Inc.) (now Tyson Foods, Inc.) filed a class-action lawsuit for unpaid wage reparations.

The Supreme Court unanimously held that putting on protective gear and walking to and from changing areas are “integral and indispensable” to the job's “principal activities” and must be paid.

[1] However, the court said that waiting time in a queue for protective gear was “two steps removed from principal activities” and is not compensable under FLSA regulations.

This case overturned a previous ruling by the United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit, in Tum v Barber Foods, Inc in 2003.

[2] Forty-four employees filed a class-action suit against Barber Foods, Inc., identical to employees' complaints against IBP, Inc. Barber Foods successfully argued that time spent donning and doffing protective gear was minimal (2–4 minutes per day) and not included in productive work activity.