Bohrer Brady, LLC filed a collective action on behalf of HVAC service technicians who were denied proper wages under federal law. A Louisiana HVAC technician has filed a federal lawsuit against Southern Air, L.L.C., and its subsidiary Trahan’s Heating & Cooling, L.L.C., alleging that the companies systematically failed to pay service technicians for all hours worked, including overtime. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the case is brought as a collective action, meaning other similarly situated workers may be eligible to join.
The Allegations
The lawsuit centers on two wage violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). First, beginning in September 2025, the companies stopped paying technicians for “idle time” – the periods during their scheduled shifts when no service call was immediately available, but employees were required to remain available and on the clock. Under the FLSA, this type of “engaged to wait” time is compensable work time. Second, even in weeks when overtime was paid, the defendants allegedly failed to include earned commissions when calculating the technicians’ overtime rate, resulting in a lower overtime premium than the law requires.
Plaintiff alleges the change in September 2025 was no accident. After technicians complained, Southern Air representatives held a meeting in January 2026 and acknowledged the payroll inconsistencies, promising backpay – a promise that was never honored. The company then implemented a revised policy that still excluded idle time once a technician’s hours hit 40 in a workweek, which the lawsuit alleges was a deliberate attempt to avoid overtime obligations. In one example cited in the complaint, the employee worked approximately 47.52 hours in a single week but was paid for only 40, shortchanging him of more than seven hours of overtime pay.
Who Is Covered
The lawsuit seeks to represent all current and former service technicians employed by Southern Air and its affiliated companies, including Trahan’s Heating & Cooling, anywhere in the United States within the last three years. Southern Air, owned by parent company Apex Service Partners, operates multiple local HVAC, plumbing, and electrical service companies in Louisiana, Mississippi, and potentially other states. If your work schedule, pay stubs, and job duties are similar to those described above, you may have a claim.
What Workers Can Recover
Under the FLSA, employees who have been denied proper overtime compensation may be entitled to recover from the employer their unpaid back wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages, and attorney’s fees and court costs. Workers do not have to pay out-of-pocket to join the lawsuit. If you or someone you know worked as a service technician for Southern Air, Trahan’s Heating & Cooling, or a related company and believe you were not properly paid for all hours worked, contact Bohrer Brady, LLC to learn more about your rights.
*Bohrer Brady, LLC represents workers in wage and hour cases throughout Louisiana and beyond. For more information, contact us at (225) 925-5297, (800) 876-3911, or info@bohrerbrady.com, or visit our website.
