Alliance Ground International workers in Illinois who clocked in with a finger or face scan may be owed $800 to $2,000 from the $635,160 ZK Technology BIPA settlement — but not if they worked under a union contract. The class excludes anyone who was a member of a collective bargaining agreement, and that single exclusion is the first thing an AGI worker should check. Everyone else who qualifies has until November 10, 2026 to file, and needs the Login ID and PIN from the mailed notice to do it online.
Status: Claims open (preliminary approval granted) | Claim deadline November 10, 2026 | Opt out or object by October 23, 2026 | Estimated $800–$2,000, capped at $2,000
Why a Timeclock Maker Is the Defendant
Alliance Ground International, LLC is an aviation ground-services company. ZK Technology LLC supplied the finger-scan and face-scan timeclocks AGI workers used to punch in and out. The lawsuit, Roman v. ZK Technology LLC, No. 2022-CH-06727, before Judge Joel Chupack in the Circuit Court of Cook County, alleges that ZK Technology violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting or receiving AGI workers’ fingerprint and face-geometry data for timekeeping without first giving the written disclosures and getting the written consent the law requires.
ZK Technology denies violating BIPA. The court has not decided who is right, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. Although AGI is not the named defendant, the settlement also releases claims against AGI over its use of employees’ biometric data for timekeeping. The same deal resolves a companion federal case with the same caption in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No. 23-cv-15058.
Who Is In — and the Four Groups Who Are Not
The class covers people who, while working for AGI in Illinois at any time between September 2020 and August 12, 2026, scanned a finger or face on AGI’s finger-scan or face-scan timekeeping system without consent having been obtained to share their biometric information with ZK Technology.
Excluded from the class:
- Anyone who was a member of a collective bargaining agreement.
- Anyone who signed a release of BIPA claims.
- Anyone who already released these claims in a related case that was dismissed before the settlement took effect.
- Anyone who opts out, plus the judge, court staff and their immediate families.
If you received a notice with a Login ID and PIN, the administrator has identified you from records as a likely class member, but the exclusions above still apply to your own situation.
How the $635,160 Becomes Your Check
Several costs come off the top before the ZK Technology BIPA settlement fund is divided, all subject to court approval:
| Attorneys’ fees | Up to 38% of the fund, plus costs |
| Service award | Up to $5,000 for the class representative |
| Administration | Settlement administration expenses |
What remains is split in equal shares among valid claimants, with each share capped at $2,000. The notice estimates each payment at $800 to $2,000, and the main variable is how many valid claims are filed. How many times you scanned in, or how long you worked at AGI, does not change the equal-share formula.
The claim form asks how you want to be paid: a paper check, or an electronic payment such as PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. Paper checks expire and become void 120 days after they are issued.
The Login ID and PIN Requirement
No receipts or employment records are needed. But the online claim form on the settlement website will not open without both the Login ID and PIN printed on the notice mailed to you.
If you never got a notice or have lost it, there are two routes. You can download the paper claim form from the settlement website, complete it and mail it postmarked by November 10, 2026. Or you can use the website’s contact page to ask the administrator, Simpluris, to resend your Login ID and PIN.
Deadlines, in the Order They Hit
| October 23, 2026 | Postmark deadline to opt out or object. An exclusion request can be submitted online through the settlement website or mailed as a signed letter with your contact details, the case name and number, and a statement that you want to be excluded. Objections go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, with copies to both sides’ lawyers. |
| November 10, 2026 | Claim deadline — online submission, or mailed form postmarked by this date. The notice does not specify a time zone. |
| November 23, 2026, 9:30 a.m. | Final approval hearing, Courtroom 2601, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago, with remote attendance by Zoom using details posted on the settlement website. |
Opting out means no payment but preserves your right to bring your own BIPA claim. Because the opt-out date falls more than two weeks before the claim deadline, that decision has to be made first.
Filing and Payment Timing
File on the official ZK BIPA Settlement website: open the claim form, enter your Login ID and PIN, confirm your information, choose check or electronic payment, and submit by November 10, 2026.
At the November 23 hearing the court will decide whether to approve the settlement, the fee request and the service award; the date can move, and changes will be posted on the settlement website. If the settlement is approved, the notice says payments should go out about 45 days after the approval becomes final, and later if there is an appeal. No payment date has been set. The full notice is embedded on the ZK Technology BIPA settlement page on OpenClassActions.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was in a union at AGI. Can I file?
No. The settlement class excludes individuals who were members of a collective bargaining agreement. It also excludes anyone who signed a BIPA release or already released these claims in a related case that was dismissed.
I worked for Alliance Ground International, not ZK Technology. Why am I included?
ZK Technology supplied the finger-scan and face-scan timeclocks AGI used. The lawsuit alleges ZK Technology received AGI workers’ biometric data without the written disclosures and consent Illinois law requires. The settlement also releases claims against AGI over the use of that data for timekeeping.
How much will I get?
The notice estimates $800 to $2,000 per valid claimant. Everyone gets an equal share of the fund after fees of up to 38 percent plus costs, a service award of up to $5,000 and administration costs, with each payment capped at $2,000.
What if I lost my Login ID and PIN?
Download the paper claim form from the settlement website and mail it postmarked by November 10, 2026, or use the website’s contact page to ask the administrator to resend your credentials.
How will I be paid, and when?
You choose a paper check or an electronic payment such as PayPal, Venmo or Zelle on the claim form. The notice says payments should go out about 45 days after approval becomes final. Checks are void 120 days after issue.
Sources
- Official settlement website and claim form — ZK BIPA Settlement, maintained by Simpluris.
- Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement, Roman v. ZK Technology LLC, No. 2022-CH-06727 (Cir. Ct. Cook County, Ill.); companion case No. 23-cv-15058 (N.D. Ill.).
- OpenClassActions.com — ZK Technology $635K BIPA Settlement.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: ZK Technology $635K BIPA Settlement for Alliance Ground Illinois Workers — which tracks this case against the court-approved notice and the official settlement website and is updated as the court rules.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm and not the settlement administrator, and is not affiliated with any party to the case described. The allegations are allegations; unless a court has ruled, the defendants deny wrongdoing and no court has decided the merits. Deadlines, benefit amounts and payment timing can change as the court and the administrator act, so confirm current status on the official settlement website. You never need to pay anyone to file a claim or to receive a settlement payment.