APPLE STORE EMPLOYEES SUING FOR HAVING TO STAND IN LINE UNPAID WHILE BEING SEARCHED BEFORE LEAVING

APPLE STORE

Being able to trust those around you is important, but not for Apple. Apple doesn’t trust anyone. In fact, it has a policy of having Apple Store managers inspect all employee bags before they are allowed to leave the store for breaks, or at the end of shifts.
Some former retail employees are getting up in arms not about the privacy issue, but about wages. Apple doesn’t pay workers to stand around waiting to be checked out, and that adds up to some real money. They’ve filed a class action suit to sort it out.

According to the complaint, employees are often forced to wait 5-15 minutes for a manager to make time to perform the bag check, which is done to make sure no one is smuggling stolen merchandise out of the store. It’s apparently a bit of a traffic jam as many people are often trying to get out of the store at the same time

Apple considers the inspection time to be off the clock, even if employees have to wait in line to leave the store. The suit alleges employees are forced to wait up to 30 minutes per shift, which could add up to about $1,500 a year in unpaid wages.

The lawsuit is being brought by two former employees, one worked at the Soho location in New York and the other at Century City store in Los Angeles. They are seeking unspecified damages for thousands of current and former Apple employees. They allege that Apple’s policy not to pay employees waiting for bag checks violates the Fair Labor Standards Act and various state laws in New York and California.

Just as a reminder, Apple saw about $7 billion in profits last quarter, and has nearly $70 billion in the bank. The company could probably afford to dip into its rainy day fund.