Class-action lawsuit against UND over alleged missing wages could affect hundreds of flight instructors – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS — A class action lawsuit filed in Grand Forks County civil court could impact hundreds of UND flight instructors.

The lawsuit was filed by Andrew Sangster, a former flight instructor at UND, on behalf of himself and other current and former instructors who he alleges were underpaid for their work.

According to a complaint filed in the case, Sangster worked for the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences from approximately October 2019 through November 2021.

He claims that during that time he was only paid for the contact hours with students (the scheduled teaching time), while he also did regular work.

Sangster alleges that he and other instructors were not compensated for the time they spent scheduling students for flight training, meeting with students and answering their questions, filing electronic records such as training comments, course approvals and releases, waiting for students to arrive at the airport, and spending time with students when flights were canceled due to maintenance or weather.

The complaint alleges that UND restricted flight instructors from taking more than 30 minutes of work time before and after flights. The university also required instructors to arrive at the airport at least 30 minutes before their student’s scheduled arrival, but allegedly did not compensate them for doing so.

According to the complaint, UND began paying teachers for additional work time outside of student contact hours in January 2024, but made no effort to compensate teachers for their previous work.

The plaintiff asks the court to find that UND’s conduct was willful and to order the university to pay all alleged lost wages, including overtime, court costs and other assessed expenses.

The lawsuit was originally filed in federal court in March, but was eventually settled in district court, dismissed and refiled in the proper court.

On Thursday, September 12, a summons was filed, ordering UND to file an answer within 21 days of receipt of the complaint.

The Herald reached out to UND for comment. A spokesperson said he would reach out to the university’s attorneys to learn how the case is progressing, but explained that UND typically does not comment on pending legal matters.