Martaneze Johnson v. Bosman Trucking, Inc.

── Martaneze Johnson v. Bosman Trucking, Inc. ── Case No.: 24-1613 Court: Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Date: April 02, 2026 Category: General In the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit ____________________ Nos. 24-1612 & 24-1613 RENEE STINGLEY, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. LACI TRANSPORT INC., et al., Defendants-Appellees. ____________________ MARTANEZE JOHNSON, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. BOSMAN TRUCKING, INC., et al., Defendants-Appellees. ____________________ Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. Nos. 18-cv-06221 & 19-cv-02066 — John F. Kness, Judge. ____________________ ARGUED DECEMBER 5, 2024 — DECIDED APRIL 2, 2026 ____________________ 2 Nos. 24-1612 & 24-1613 Before ROVNER, SYKES, and ST. EVE, Circuit Judges. ROVNER, Circuit Judge. The plaintiffs in these class action lawsuits, which have been consolidated for disposition, are current and former shuttle truck drivers who drive routes en- tirely within Illinois, moving truckloads of automobile parts that were fabricated outside Illinois and their custom storage containers, to and from a Ford Motor Company (“Ford”) as- sembly plant in Chicago. They filed class action suits against the defendants alleging that the failure to pay them overtime wages violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 201 et seq., the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, 820 ILCS § 105/1 et seq., and the Chicago Minimum Wage Law, Municipal Code of Chicago (formerly § 1-24, now § 6-105). Resolution of all of those claims turns on resolution of the FLSA claim. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the defendants, and the plaintiffs now appeal. The basic facts relevant to these consolidated cases are stipulated by the parties as follows. Ford assembles vehicles at its Chicago Assembly Plant (the “Assembly Plant”) located at 12600 S. Torrence Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Some of the auto parts used at the Assembly Plant are manufactured out of state at Ford’s own manufacturing plants outside Illinois as well as at third-party manufacturing plants outside Illinois, specifically for use at the Assembly Plant, based on Ford’s projections, forecasts, and estimated need for those specific parts at the Assembly Plant. Those parts are transported by interstate trucking carriers. Ford selects, contracts with, pays, and schedules those interstate truck carriers. When those auto parts are not in immediate need at the Assembly Plant, the deliveries by those interstate trucking carriers are directed to certain semi-trailer storage lots which Ford owns, leases, or Nos. 24-1612 & 24-1613 3 otherwise controls. Those storage lots are at separate locations that are geographically near the Assembly Plant. Plaintiffs in both of the cases that are consolidated today stipulated that the addresses of those storage lots included the following lo- cations: West Lot, 2503 East 130th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60633; Stony Drop Yard, 12200 S. Paxton Avenue, Chicago, Il- linois 60633; TC Lot, 12009 S. Ewing Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60617; South Lot, 13535 S. Torrence Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60633; Tower, 12350 S. Avenue O, Chicago, Illinois 60633; Campus, 12249 and 12243 S. Burley Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60633; and 3400 E. 126th Place, Chicago, Illinois 60633. The suit involving the Boseman Trucking defendants included as well the following locations as storage facilities: Dakota, 12523 South Carondolet Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60633; Chi- cago Stamping Plant, 1000 Lincoln Hwy., Chicago Heights, Il- linois 60411; and MOD Center, Alsip, Illinois. For the purpo