LOS ANGELES — A California federal judge recently gave final approval to a class action unpaid overtime lawsuit filed by former call center workers alleging that their employer forced them to work off the clock before and after their shifts as well as during lunch breaks. The suit, filed in federal District Court Central District of California, could compensate as many as 120,000 current and former workers employed by the defendant since August 2010.
In August 2013, a small group of plaintiffs filed suit in California federal court demanding the defendant, Irvin-based Alorica, compensate them and others for the time it took them logging in and out of their computers at the start and end of their shifts. Furthermore, the complaint alleges the plaintiffs were due wages for having to handle calls during their lunch breaks.
The reason, according to the complaint, for the unpaid wages was the defendant’s payroll and time tracking system. The defendant would only compensate workers for the time they spent logged into the system, meaning they could be at work and performing job duties but not have these hours recorded if not logged into their computers.
Additionally, workers were automatically clocked out for unpaid meal breaks which would leave workers uncompensated for the time spent on support calls which spilled over into their lunch breaks. Even worse, employees had to log out if they took a short rest break of less than 20 minutes.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, these short rest periods are important to healthy workplace environments and must be counted as time spent on the clock, despite what employers think.
The two sides agreed to the $9.25 million settlement in May 2016 after almost two years of back and forth negotiations over the unpaid overtime lawsuit. Since then, the federal court needed to send out notices to potential claimants and give them time to object to the settlement if they felt it was not in their best interest.
Call Center Overtime Pay Lawsuit
Call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page if you feel that your wage rights are being violated under the FLSA. Our top-rated team of unpaid wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action to help you seek justice.
Our office will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. Because strict time limitations apply for filing these types of claims, we advise you contact our experienced unpaid overtime wage attorneys at your earliest convenience and preserve your legal rights.