System allegedly reset clock times to scheduled shifts, erasing pre and post-shift work
Under Armour is facing allegations that timekeeping policies at its call center left employees unpaid for work performed outside scheduled shifts.
A lawsuit filed November 21 in federal court in Maryland claims the athletic apparel company systematically underpaid customer service representatives through automated timekeeping adjustments that erased hours worked before and after scheduled shifts.
Junta Castro, who spent nearly six years handling customer inquiries at Under Armour's call center before leaving in December 2024, alleges the company's policies created a difficult situation. Employees were expected to be ready to take calls the moment their shifts began, which meant logging into multiple computer systems, authenticating credentials, and reviewing work queues beforehand. But when they clocked in early to complete those tasks, the timekeeping system automatically reset their start times to match their scheduled shifts.
The same thing happened at the end of the day. Representatives finishing up customer communications after their scheduled shift end would clock out, only to have the system adjust their times backward.
The filing describes an environment where call center workers juggled telephone software, scheduling programs, case management tools, and payroll applications while fielding customer inquiries through phone, email, chat, and social media. Some representatives also handled fraud investigations, processing disputes and researching potentially fraudulent claims.
Adding to the alleged wage issues, the lawsuit claims Under Armour automatically deducted meal breaks from paychecks even when employees worked through lunch. According to the filing, company policies that regulated time between calls and restricted when employees could clock in and out left workers with little choice but to perform duties during unpaid periods.
The case targets practices at a company that reported revenue of $5.1 billion for fiscal year 2025 and describes its mission as empowering those who strive for more. Now Castro is asking the court to empower more than 100 current and former call center employees he says were shortchanged.
The lawsuit seeks to proceed as both a collective action under federal wage law covering customer service representatives who worked in Maryland since March 10, 2023, and as a class action under state law reaching back three years. Castro's legal team is pursuing claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Maryland wage laws, characterizing the alleged conduct as willful.
The defendants, Under Armour Inc. and Under Armour Retail Inc., both maintain their principal place of business in Baltimore and share the same address on Performance Drive. No response has been filed yet, and the allegations remain untested in court.
If the case moves forward, it could put a spotlight on timekeeping practices that many companies use to manage hourly workforces, particularly in customer service operations where being available exactly on schedule is treated as non-negotiable.
