Several former Apple Store employees are suing Apple for the time they had to spend in searches after shifts and meal breaks. According to a report by The StarPhoenix, the workers sued Apple two years ago, asking for a few dollars for each day worked, due to having to have their electronic devices and bags searched at breaks and at the end of shifts. They’ve asked a judge to let them add over 12,000 former co-workers from 52 stores across California. If the workers win class-action status, it could become a real problem for Apple’s reputation. A law professor at Villanova University School of Law in Pennsylvania said “I assume they would take a US$75 million hit plus bad publicity seriously. Chump change for Apple, but nothing to sneeze at.”
The U.S. Supreme Court made a ruling last year that workers don’t have a federal right to earn compensation for time spent in security searches post-shift, which means employees can go after Apple under California law.
