Two former employees of Trojan Labor of Nashville LLC charge in a federal lawsuit that the company violated wage and hour laws and docked their wages for safety equipment it should have provided.

John T. Taylor and Michael J. Dooley are seeking class action status for themselves and all similar employees of the temporary staffing firm over the past three years.

Workers had to report at Trojan Labor offices as early as 4 a.m. to sign in and get a “work ticket,” but had to wait there before going in a mandatory carpool to the jobsite, according to the suit filed Feb. 12 in U.S. District Court in Nashville.

Even if the job supervisor told a worker to return the next day, “Trojan’s stated policy is that all employees with repeat tickets must sign in at the Trojan office at least one hour before the client’s designed start time at the work site,” it says.

But they are not paid for the time they wait at the Trojan office in the mornings or for the time spent returning there to turn in validated work tickets.

“Trojan charges all employees” for protective equipment, deducting the costs from their paychecks, despite OSHA requirements that employers provide that, it says.

Charges range from $2 for safety glasses, $5 for hard hats and $10 for safety vests, and can go up to $25 for respirators, it says.

A spokesman for Jolene Dressel, owner of Trojan’s Tennessee franchise, said she had no comment because the case is in litigation.

“She feels the case has no merit and is going to fight is vigorously,” the spokesman said.

Trojan also wanted all employees to travel to the worksite together so they would be assigned to groups with individual employees who had cars and drove them to and from the work site, the suit says.