What's the saying? Those that don't know history are doomed to repeat it. We have labor laws for a reason. This isn't ****** China.
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Apple Facing Class Action Lawsuit From 20,000 Employees Over Alleged Labor Code Violations
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I'm sure if it happened to those here who are mocking the Apple employees they'd feel the same way, they'd be for their company and against themselves. They would be fighting to have less rights and be paid less so that their employer benefited from it.
It's not five hours without a break but five without a meal break. Which is legal in any states. You also have to consider the issue of if the length is due to when the break is scheduled versus the employee not going on time. And if it is the latter why? Did the manager demand employee wait or was if that someone was being slow to do their job.
My BF often ends up going on break late due to the person that is supposed to take over his job task (which can't be left without a replacement) being late because that person was slow during an appointment and went way past the 10-15 minutes the appointments are supposed to take. Generally it's only perhaps 5 minutes she a manager finds someone to cover. But the breaks are scheduled within the proper times for California law. My BF also sees fellow techs go late to meals cause they are hanging out flirting with a hot customer. And this is after being told several times to hand off appointment and go to lunch.
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It might be better for folks to wait to see the proof first.
Well they went 5 hours and 30 seconds. Those 30 seconds are very painful.
Yes, the sharks (lawyers) have studied all the possible labor code violations, and are all about shaking down any company that is technically in violation. If they are 5 minutes past 5 hours between breaks and they can prove it, it's class action time. Of course the lawyers don't give a damn about the employees, it's all about getting huge amounts of cash as fees for the services they provide. Each employee gets about $10.00 and the lawyers cash in with 5 or 6 figure fees. It's a great system. We need tort reform, but lawyers run the show, so it won't be happening anytime soon.
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It seems like you can find labor code violations in almost any big company that employs hourly workers. (Though i hear Costco is very good to work for). I think it was earlier this year where much worse details came out about how some Amazon.com employees are exploited.
So, because you work in "semi-slavery", you think everybody should be treated the same? Way to go! Next step: working just for food and shelter, because that's what real men do!
PS: Joelist, I am curious, how is life in Foxconn? Any suicide last week? Do you have a blurry photo of the iPhone 6 to share?
Sorry to break it to you, but high end consultants and analysts also work 8+ straight. When we're in crunch time on a project we work however long it takes to bring it in on time and accurate.
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You are only allowed to say that if you live in California and voted against the politicians that enacted these laws. Otherwise, worry about your own state.
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......Yes.
And breaking them is not.
Perhaps consult a few Wikipedia articles and have some basic understanding how the law works first - basic understanding the legislative and judicial branches would probably be a good start.
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The amount of comments here disregarding the employees' claims here is staggering. Putting aside that labor laws exist for a reason, it's laughable that these allegations are simply put down so easily. Did [those that commented that way] even bother to read through the story? Or is this one of those cases where the blame would be piled on other companies other than Apple?
Edit: Added the quotes. Holy crap they just keep coming.
I don't know about everybody else, but I was reading and agreeing with the employee side just fine until I got to the word "California", and then I began to wonder if it was a farce.
Maybe I have some bias there.
They do have some of the strictest worker protection (and in other areas as well) in the country. Still, there has been an overall decline in worker protection policies throughout the country in general during the last few decades, so dismantling all of this (even if some commenters here think that they are useless) would definitely not be helpful.
Edit: Still seeing plenty of posts completely disregarding the significance of this! People, read the attached suit. This isn't solely about the 5 hour issue!
Salaried office workers such as those have the same lunches and breaks mandated, but they are probably expected to figure it out on their own. So, if y'all don't take breaks, you can't blame anyone but yourself.
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Because you do? Please explain when you're from. Is it a 3rd world county where basic amenities are a luxury? I take it you're not, considering you have an internet capable device which you've used to read the news, which by the way, doesn't travel too fast in 3rd world countries.
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Spot on. Spot on. They do a great job brain washing people into fan boys too.
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Now that is funny. I bet they have applied at all apple stores in a 100 mile radius of their home and got rejected each time. So now, they are just trolling forums with their apple knowledge.
First, thanks for putting in context the value of your opinions.
Second...
---Breaking news---
Mr. Joelist, presidential candidate: "I promise now and here that low wage retail employees will have the same salary and benefits as high end consultants and analysts"
Cheers!
Actually, in California if any portion of a check is paid late, the employer must pay 8 hours of pay for every day that the check is late (there may be a cap though, I don't know), so not only could Apple be on the hook for the back pay, but lots of penalties as well.
But even without the penalty, let's look at what they would be owed:
- If they worked more than 5 hours before getting a lunch break, they are owed 1 hour of time.
- If they worked over 8 hours in a day, they are owed time and half for that time.
- If they worked more than 5 days in a row, they are owed double time for the remaining days until they get a day off.
- Time and a half for more than 40 hours in a 7 day period Double time for more than 60.
- If they had less than 12 hours between getting off work and coming back they are owed double time.
- There are penalties if they worked after clocking out or were not able to leave the store immediately after clocking out.
These are just a few California laws that may apply, bottom line is these items can add up fast.
For example Blockbuster had gotten into trouble for similar issues and from what I have read most California employees got about $800 per year they worked there.
While the exact details may vary, I am sure other states have similar laws, as these were put in place to protect those working from unscrupulous employers that try to make people work unreasonable hours and yes anything outside 40 hours a week and 8 hours a day without proper compensation is unreasonable as is working for more than 5 hours without a lunch break, as your body is not designed to do that.
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But the problem is it has been proven by numerous studies that you can't work over 8+ hours straight without a break and be accurate. You need to take breaks, including for lunch. And you should limit working more than 8 hours to no more than two days a week and that should be very rare.
Bottom line is 5 hours and a lunch break must be provided by law (either federal or state, your choice).
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Even if that is true, that might be, I would expect a billionaire and "high moral standad" company such as Apple would give the employees at least a little bit more than the bare minimum they are forced to give. Or maybe Apple is an Evil Corporation as any other one?
No, that's impossible!!! 
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Agree about the lawyers, but why should the company get a free pass for 5 extra minutes? why not 10?, or 30? Come on, it's just 1 hour more...!
We need a clear limit, and the law said it. The company should make sure that employees work the time they should or LESS, not MORE. If you cannot do that exactly, better make them work 4:55 than 5:05.
OH EM GEE. This is what a lot of laws bill down too. I've been a victim of this in a legal custody battle. It's a nightmare.
But no, seriously, the law was broken.
So, because your working conditions are poor, the solution is to worse other workers conditions until they match yours? Seems like a great plan. I am sure the employers' association is proud to have loyal workers like you. What a pity they will still not think twice about firing you at any random time their "numbers" say so.
It's nice to see you ignore the sections that don't support your rant. It's less likely that this would have become a class action lawsuit without the part quote below, but I admire your ability to push a slanted agenda. With that aside, there doesn't seem to be any complaint about the actual working conditions, or how many customers are waiting at a given time. You might try not to conflate such unrelated details in the future.