Apple to Face Class Action Lawsuit Over Employee Bag Searches

POST

MAIL

Posted July 16, 2015 at 8:14pm by iClarified

A judge has granted class action status to a lawsuit over Apple's practice of searching employee bags outside of working hours, reports Reuters. The lawsuit alleges that Apple should have compensated employees for the time taken to check their bags for stolen merchandise.

The judge who granted the lawsuit class action status was U.S. District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco. The case now includes over 12,000 current and former employees.

Notably, employees had complained directly to CEO Tim Cook over the policy which was described as embarrassing and demeaning.

Plaintiffs Amanda Frlekin and Dean Pelle alleged that "screenings" or bag searches, designed to discourage theft, are conducted every time sales reps leave the store, including for meal breaks. Lawsuits from within Apple's ranks are rare. One worker, whose name was blacked out of a court filing, told Cook in a 2012 message that Apple managers "are required to treat 'valued' employees as criminals."

Upon receiving the complaint, Cook forwarded to HR executives asking, "Is this true?"

Apple argued that the case wasn't suitable for class action status because not all store managers conduced the searches and because they didn't take long. However, employees said that the wait at the end of a shift to have their bag searched could take 10 to 15 minutes. Alsup said those issues could be litigated at trial.

Read More

Apple to Face Class Action Lawsuit Over Employee Bag Searches

Follow iClarified

King Rollo - July 19, 2015 at 8:57pm

If you devalue your job to clock watch this much you really need to get another job...

Reply · Like

snrlvr - July 18, 2015 at 7:59am

If you want to search my bags every time I leave the store,that is perfectly fine, asking as you do it on your time not mine..

gamerscul9870 - July 17, 2015 at 5:10pm

I call nonsense on that.

gamerscul9870 - July 16, 2015 at 11:24pm

What kind of company sells ads? Just download the video. Apps do that.

lincolnstudios - July 16, 2015 at 11:05pm

In Japan they get paid to work from 10am - 7pm but almost all Japanese Employees work until midnight without any extra pay, other than a hefty bonus every year. But the difference is, they actually work at a snails pace and take smoke breaks every 10 minutes, so their actual worth is only until 7pm anyway. I've been living and working in Japan for over 15 years and this is how it's always been and I don't foresee it changing anytime soon. Nothing changes very often here...

Techno - July 17, 2015 at 8:39am

s Korea is the same, they get in around 10, takes a break until whenever, surfs the Internet, have long lunches, works from 2 - 5 with occasional breaks and leaves around 7 for drinking and dinner until the Bus arrives to take them all out of the City as most don't live in the city. Majority of ideas the big phone company use are from smaller companies selling their phones on the street.

dkdk - July 16, 2015 at 10:11pm

I don't understand your point... companies not paying employees for their time makes America bad somehow? So then if all companies paid all employees for only half the hours worked, America would become the Super Duper Awesomest Country In The World!!! Great idea, you start!!!!