3M To Pay Nearly $1 Million In Back Wages To Workers Under Deal With State

Maplewood-based 3M will pay employees nearly $1 million in back wages under a settlement with the state.

On Thursday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that the company would pay $961,394.93 in back wages to 1,690 employees to account for unauthorized paycheck deductions.

The settlement also marks the end of an investigation by Ellison’s office into 3M’s payment practices.

According to court documents, 3M made 5,978 deductions from the pay of 4,204 employees between May of 2020 and August of 2023. These deductions were made without voluntary written authorization of the employees, which Ellison’s office says violated state law.

Of those deductions, 2,669 totaled more than $1, impacting 1,690 employees.

The deductions were made to correct overpayments from pandemic-related absences, incorrect calculations of salary base pay and incorrect overtime calculations, according to Ellison’s office.

"It was wrong for 3M to deduct money from workers’ paychecks without their knowledge and agreement," Ellison said in a statement.

“I am pleased that 3M was willing to cooperate with my office by returning money to workers and changing its deduction policies going forward.”

The settlement also requires 3M to establish a process for obtaining written authorization from employees prior to making pay deductions.

SOURCE: Bring Me The News