Reuters: Technology News: Ex-workers sue Apple, seek overtime for daily bag searches

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Ex-workers sue Apple, seek overtime for daily bag searches Jul 31st 2013, 01:52 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Apple wobbles in China as rivals offer more, for less Wed, Jul 24 2013 Strong iPhone sales buoy Apple's third quarter, shares climb Tue, Jul 23 2013 Apple colluded on e-book prices, judge finds Wed, Jul 10 2013 Two killed, many injured as South Korean airliner crashes, burns in San Francisco Sat, Jul 6 2013 N.Y. attorney general probes payroll cards over fees Wed, Jul 3 2013 Analysis & Opinion Sunday shopping is the frontline in France's work-life balance war Morgan Stanley could be to blame for Detroit's blight: N.Y. judge An iPhone 5 is pictured on display at an Apple Store in Pasadena, California July 22, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni SAN FRANCISCO | Tue Jul 30, 2013 9:52pm EDT SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two former Apple Inc employees have accused the iPhone maker in a lawsuit of subjecting hourly store workers to daily searches while they were off-the-clock, arguing they should be compensated. The "screenings" or bag searches, designed to discourage theft, are conducted every time sales reps leave the store, including for meal breaks, the plaintiffs alleged in a lawsuit filed July 25 in a San Francisco federal court. They are seeking unpaid wages, overtime compensation and other penalties related to what they say is a customary practice across Apple's U.S. showrooms. The two plaintiffs said they worked for Apple over a number of years, from California to Georgia and Florida. Lawsuits from within Apple's ranks are rare, in part because the company is known to command loyalty amongst its workers. In 2011 however, a part-time employee at an Apple store in San Francisco sought to form a union to fight for better wages and benefits and to address what he called unfair practices within the company's showrooms. Both plaintiffs, who are seeking class-action status on behalf of every current and former Apple hourly employee, estimated in their lawsuit that they often waited in line for roughly 5 to 10 minutes or more before undergoing each check. It's unclear whether the policy extends beyond Apple's home shores. The company has more 400 stores around the world. "This work, done primarily for the employer's benefit, is time which Apple hourly employees should be, but are not compensated for, both straight hours and overtime hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week," the lawsuit read. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. The case in U.S. Northern District Court is Amanda Frlekin and Dean Pelle et al v Apple Inc, 3:13-cv-03451-EDL (Editing by Michael Urquhart) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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