(855) 263-3525

California Chanel Store Employees Sue For Overtime Pay

LOS ANGELES — A group of shipping department employees filed a class action suit against Chanel, Inc. for alleged violations of California wage and labor laws in one of its California stores. According to the suit, Chanel failed to pay overtime and provide rest breaks for shipping employees, failed to pay minimum wage, and failed to provide  accurate payroll records. The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and exemplary damages, unpaid wages, prejudgment interest, penalties, attorneys’ fees and costs. They are also seeking a preliminary and a permanent injunction requiring Chanel to pay all owed wages, provide meal and rest periods, and provide and maintain appropriate payroll records.

California Overtime Rules

According to the suit, Chanel required employees to begin working before 9:00 A.M. and forced employees to stay and work until after 6:00 P.M. five days a week without overtime pay.  Additionally, Chanel allegedly instructed employees to punch in their manual time cards at 9:00 A.M. and to punch them out at 6:00 P.M. even though those were not accurate records.

Under California labor law, nonexempt employees are required to be paid overtime if they work beyond eight hours in any workday or more than six days in any workweek at not less than one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of eight hours up to and including twelve hours in any workday, and for the first eight hours worked on the seventh consecutive workday in a workweek. If an employee works in excess of twelve hours in any workday or works in excess of eight hours on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek, he or she must be paid double the regular rate of pay for those excess hours.

Break Requirements in California

The California Labor Code requires employers to provide employees with at least a thirty-minute meal break if they work more than five hours per day. If the employee works more than ten hours per day, then employers are generally required to provide a second thirty-minute meal period. During this meal period, the employer must relieve employees of all duties, relinquish control over their activities, and allow them a reasonable opportunity to take an uninterrupted 30-minute break in which they are free to come and go as they please. If the employer fails to relinquish control and, for example, require employees to remain on the premises during the meal period, they are entitled to compensation for your meal period.

Additionally, employers in California are required to provide certain covered employees with a net 10-minute rest period for every four hours worked. As much as practicable, this rest period must be in the middle of the four-hour work period. If the employer fails to provide this rest period, then he or she must pay employees one additional hour of pay for each workday that the rest period is not provided.

If you or someone you know is not being paid overtime or not provided adequate meal or rest breaks, or you should call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page. Our top-rated team of wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action. We will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. There are strict time limitations for filing, so it is important that you call our experienced attorneys today.

Text Now For Free Case Review