A few former Genius Bar employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple claiming they were treated poorly and denied rest breaks.
According to the lawsuit website, "It alleges that Apple denied those employees rest breaks without paying wages for that time in violation of California law. The proposed plaintiff class seeks to recover unpaid wages, penalties, an injunction and other equitable relief and fees and costs for the period of September 15, 2005 through the present.”
The employees also allege that Apple "failed to compensate employees for missed rest periods, failed to pay compensation in a promptly and timely manner to former employees, and failed to provide accurate semimonthly itemized wage statements."
via 9to5 Mac
Image via mastermaq on Flickr
randoo53
May 27, 2010 at 8:10am
Do you know of ANY company on Earth that has EVER said (regarding an allegation).."Yep, we did it. Sorry 'bout that." ? Since I have been here on this planet only 5.5 decades, I can't speak for anytime before that but I sure don't recall any companies offering up apologies. (not unless they were told to...)
Allow me to try and clarify what I originally posted. I might have not worded it well the first time:
IF the allegations are true and workers were denied breaks then SOMEONE in the management chain has dropped the ball and deserves punishment for violating state laws. IF the allegations turn out to be false, the accusers will not only look bad but they will also owe a lot of money to lawyers so they will have "gotten theirs" in that regard. However I don't believe this will be the case since a "class action suit" is usually the result of many complaints over a long period of time...not just a few disgruntled employees.
When I said "Come on Steve" I should have worded it Steve, et al, so it would include whoever is responsible for the day to day operations and employee oversight.(and for the record, you started this bashing process, I didn't)
I'm not up on my acronyms so I can't speak for the EDD, but I am willing to bet the CDOL (California Dept of Labor) is already involved but this initial report doesn't go into that much depth.
randoo53
May 26, 2010 at 10:05am
As a retiree I realize the value of keeping employees if they are doing the company good. I don't know WHERE YOU GET OFF on assuming me to be a czar but you apparently are small minded enough to scare me.
Anyone working a full time job (for that matter most part time also) has responsibilities AND benefits they must abide by. (They work hand in hand in case you forgot) My post was for those employees who were working without the benefit of a break. Notice I didn't say a DELAYED break, which is probably the norm with their schedule, but I said NO break as the article mentioned. NO ONE should go without breaks to the point that it needs a class action suit. I've done my share of no breaks before and didn't care one way or the other but if it had happened numerous times then it would have been brought up.
Did you (before your slamming of me) happen to notice the suit says they were DENIED breaks? China may get by with that but we shouldn't. You also ranted about other things (re-read your last sentence) that was not mentioned in the suit. KEEP ON TOPIC if you are going to rant and call people names unless you are one of those trollers who do this for kicks. If that's the case, you are good at it. Otherwise...give it a rest will ya?
P.S. for those ex-apple employees who commented on here: Thanks for what you did. Every one of my service related calls to apple support have been EXCELLENT and one of the main reasons I bailed on my PCs after 25 years of frustrations.
dwedelde
May 26, 2010 at 6:02pm
(According to the lawsuit website, "It alleges that Apple denied those employees rest breaks without paying wages for that time in violation of California law...")
allege |əˈlej|
verb [ reporting verb ]
claim or assert that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically without proof that this is the case : [with clause ] he alleged that he had been assaulted.Did you (before your slamming of me) happen to notice the suit says ALLEGES?!?! If Apple DENIED breaks, then they could have gone to the EDD instead of going for the lawsuit lottery, right???
Aristocat
May 26, 2010 at 7:51am
It was fun, it was exciting, and I starved.
Oh yeah... the comment I heard from a senior VP... employees are good for about five years before we burn them out. There are plenty waiting to fill their shoes.
I still love Apple people, Apple products, but stock for executives is the driver for management.
Thank you for your time.
MacGuru
chiefted
May 25, 2010 at 4:49pm
For dwedelde,
So we are suppose to make you the czar then?
Honestly I would like to at least see what I should have earned while I was a Genius, and worked overtime (without pay), etc.
California law requires you to take at least 30 min lunch break. You can't refuse, you have to take it and I believe it is unpaid.
Seriously the reason I did leave Apple was the crappy pay. I went to work for a company that paid me close to twice what I was making as a Genius, and no I am not some 18 to 25 year old. I had been working with and on Apples since the Apple IIe. I did 20 years in the Coast Guard, and I did 4 as a civilian instructor for the Coast Guard. I did my time at Apple, I did get great training out of the deal, and I had to deal with customers like you on a daily basis. It was sorta fun, cept the customer like you portion.
dwedelde
May 26, 2010 at 5:47pm
Interesting how you slam me 3 times, while making my point. Your job sucked, so you quit and got a better one. And dealing with customers like me? I have always been nothing but respectful to the folks at the G bar. They are obviously hard working people. The type of person that sues his/her employer because they don't like their job is the very same type who treat retail people like crap. It is the "I'm entitled" crowd.
dwedelde
May 25, 2010 at 3:57pm
So here's randoo, self anointed pay czar deciding that Steve has enough, and using the usual buzzwords "corporate greed". Do you know how hard it is to run a business in California? Do you work every minute you're being paid for? If not, did you give back any money to the company? Scheduling appointments for the Genius Bar is much like a doctor's office; You do not know how long each appointment will take, you can only estimate. Sometimes they run long. You cannot pay people to stand around too long, or you will not be profitable (I know, a profanity to some.)
If you don't like your working conditions, here's a radical idea: Instead of calling an ambulance chasing snake, how about quiting, and finding a job you prefer. Or better yet, get a bunch of like minded people together and start your own company. Then you can show the big boys how it's done! Paid lunch breaks, 12 weeks maternity leave, 3 month paid vacations, 30 hour work weeks...
randoo53
May 25, 2010 at 3:04pm
I hate to think that Apple is going down the road of "corporate greed" and trying to underpay or overwork their help like this. Come on Apple...we pay good money (some would say too much!) for your products and services so pay your help accordingly. These genius folks are the link between the end user such as myself and the mystifying world of computers. Without these guys you might as well have a hotline over to some Indian country to whom I can hardly understand for tech support.
You are sitting on Billions Steve...let go of a little of it and pay them as they should be and hire more people if you are short handed and having these guys work through breaks. It will only help you in the long run.
