LOS ANGELES — California Cartage Co. is facing a potential class action unpaid wage and overtime lawsuit from a group of its warehouse workers. The warehouse workers at the Port of Los Angeles claim the distribution company not only subjected them to harsh working conditions, it also failed to pay them all of the wages to which they were entitled. The workers are also bringing suit against several staffing agencies which provided California Cartage with workers.
Warehouse Claims
The warehouse workers for California Cartage were hired to unload containers for retailers like Amazon and Lowe’s to be placed on trucks and transported all over the country. The warehouse workers who filed the lawsuit believe more than 500 workers have been affected by the company’s practice of denying employees all of their earned wages. They estimate millions of dollars are owed in back wages and unpaid overtime. Furthermore, the warehouse workers claim the alleged wage and overtime violations date back to 1999.
According to the workers’ claim, because California Cartage is leasing land from the city, it is required to pay a “living wage” which is above the state’s minimum wage of $9. Allegedly California Cartage, and the staffing agencies it used, only paid the state minimum wage. And the companies allegedly denied workers overtime wages when they were required to work after hours. Moreover, in order to avoid paying overtime, the company managers allegedly shaved time off the employees’ time cards at the beginning or ending of the employee’s shift. This would have resulted in the warehouse workers who worked after hours receiving less than the state minimum wage, which was even less than the required minimum wage for California Cartage. The workers claim the company purposefully denied proper wages in an effort to maximize profits through unlawfully reduced labor costs.
In addition to failing to pay overtime wages, the company allegedly required employees to arrive at work, but would send them home without pay if there was not enough work. This practice violates California labor laws.
Living Wage and Overtime
For states with “living wage” requirements, the state will determine the minimum “living wage.” Additionally, the state will set a separate minimum “living wage” to account for the employer paying for its employees’ medical benefits. In this case, the living wage is $12.28 if the employer does not cover medical benefits and $11.03 if medical benefits are covered. The “living wage” minimum wage is the minimum amount of hourly pay an employer controlled by these laws can pay its employees. It is also the minimum base rate of pay an employer can use when calculating an employee’s overtime wages, since overtime wages are one and a half times the employee’s regular rate of pay.
If you employer has denied the wages and overtime pay you have earned, call our top-rated team of overtime pay lawyers to discuss your options today at (855) 754-2795. Or our experienced legal team can evaluate your situation when you complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form. If we accept your case, we will represent you under our No Fee Promise. This means there are no legal fees or costs unless you receive a settlement.