There are quite a few managers that really do not know the law regarding hourly employees. In Mass. I believe that you are required to give someone 30 minutes away from office for meal. So if the employees are not being allowed this then I would try to get my money as well.
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Apple Retail Employees File Class Action Lawsuit Over 'Bag Check' Lost Wages
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people are ridiculous...
should i sue for having to go through a security gate to get to work every day? Those valuable minutes that I lose... OMG!
I guess we live in such a pathetic society that its easier to blame someone else because YOU CHOOSE to bring a bag into work and lose 5 minutes of pay. Heres a novel idea . DONT bring the stupid bag!!!
That would be too simple though, instead lets continue to sue everyone else further proving how pathetic we have become as a nation.
Smh posts like this just prove how worthless people are becoming; always thinking they are entitled to everything under the sun. Get over yourselves maybe there is a reason youre an hourly employee..
should i sue for having to go through a security gate to get to work every day? Those valuable minutes that I lose... OMG!
I guess we live in such a pathetic society that its easier to blame someone else because YOU CHOOSE to bring a bag into work and lose 5 minutes of pay. Heres a novel idea . DONT bring the stupid bag!!!
That would be too simple though, instead lets continue to sue everyone else further proving how pathetic we have become as a nation.
Smh posts like this just prove how worthless people are becoming; always thinking they are entitled to everything under the sun. Get over yourselves maybe there is a reason youre an hourly employee..
I worked for a electronics retail company that did this as well.
It only took us a couple seconds to check - usually the cashiers at the front of the store would take 2 seconds to check an employee's bag as they left, and customers were very understanding as they did so.
Every Apple store I've been to (about 5 of them, large & small) have employees sitting by the front of the store directing customers to areas or calling up someone to assist them, but otherwise not doing anything. Not sure why they can't check employees' bags?
On a side note - why doesn't apple just put an RFID tag inside packaging? This way they can record a particular ID as it leaves the store, and record the ID during purchase. If the employee is opening the packaging you'll probably have proof on camera (I would imagine Apple has cameras EVERYWHERE in their stores).
It only took us a couple seconds to check - usually the cashiers at the front of the store would take 2 seconds to check an employee's bag as they left, and customers were very understanding as they did so.
Every Apple store I've been to (about 5 of them, large & small) have employees sitting by the front of the store directing customers to areas or calling up someone to assist them, but otherwise not doing anything. Not sure why they can't check employees' bags?
On a side note - why doesn't apple just put an RFID tag inside packaging? This way they can record a particular ID as it leaves the store, and record the ID during purchase. If the employee is opening the packaging you'll probably have proof on camera (I would imagine Apple has cameras EVERYWHERE in their stores).
Too right, I love apple but they are super in the wrong to require any break times to be absorbed by any work related activities.
Most people aren't paid for break periods employers need to learn to stick by contracts, it's not about being difficult it's important to uphold what people have fought for in the past. I hate law suits but this is one that certainly is valid.
Most people aren't paid for break periods employers need to learn to stick by contracts, it's not about being difficult it's important to uphold what people have fought for in the past. I hate law suits but this is one that certainly is valid.
I wasn't talking about the corporate office. I just said my cousin works for the corporate office, he tells me the ongoings of the retail stores. As someone else pointed out, Apple shouldn't allow employees to bring in bags.
Uh, working 5-15 minutes overtime is pretty much standard no matter where you work. It's always to the benefit of the company, not you. It's an unfortunate and necessary part of having a job. Employees who leave exactly at the end of their shift are usually seen as desperate to get home and therefore not enjoying their job, it's often even frowned upon.
Everywhere I've ever worked always involved 10-20 minutes overtime. I currently officially have a 1 hour lunch break in a 9-hour day (9am - 6pm), I only get paid for 8 hours, and I usually only take a 15 min break. I usually arrive 10 mins early and leave 10 mins late. So technically I get less money per hour than what it says on my contract. So what? I'm still happy with the money I get, if they'd say that I'll get paid less but they'll also pay me for my lunch break, I'd be fine with it if I'd get the same wages at the end. Filing a lawsuit for this would be ridiculous. Some people travel hours to get to and from work, 5-15 minutes of waiting at the end of the day is insignificant.
I always think of it this way: calculate the total number of hours you work, and calculate how much you earn per hour based on your salary and your real work hours. Is that an acceptable wage? If not, get a better job, if yes, don't complain.
Everywhere I've ever worked always involved 10-20 minutes overtime. I currently officially have a 1 hour lunch break in a 9-hour day (9am - 6pm), I only get paid for 8 hours, and I usually only take a 15 min break. I usually arrive 10 mins early and leave 10 mins late. So technically I get less money per hour than what it says on my contract. So what? I'm still happy with the money I get, if they'd say that I'll get paid less but they'll also pay me for my lunch break, I'd be fine with it if I'd get the same wages at the end. Filing a lawsuit for this would be ridiculous. Some people travel hours to get to and from work, 5-15 minutes of waiting at the end of the day is insignificant.
I always think of it this way: calculate the total number of hours you work, and calculate how much you earn per hour based on your salary and your real work hours. Is that an acceptable wage? If not, get a better job, if yes, don't complain.
I agree.... I hope so too. It's easy for them to behave as douches, abuse employees' need and patience, as long as its a free externality for their bottom line.
And mark my words: the moment this goes against Apple's dime, they will magically find a way to speed it up, hold managers accountable for the cost, or stop doing it altogether.
This is California we are talking about. I hope you are right, but don't take it to the bank yet.
I worked in retail for 5 years in a well known clothing company. They also did this and I had to wait up to 15-20 min off clock as well. I thought it was reasonable to ensure people weren't stealing and most often is was a 1-2 minute wait for a manager or assistant to check.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I worked for many years in the retail jewelry business where very valuable things much smaller than Apple tech could be taken out of the store. No jewelry retailer I ever worked for did this kind of thing.
I know some of us cannot fathom Apple doing wrong in any way but let's get real. These people we're railing against ARE Apple people. They're the people that help many of us when we need help. They're the people that offer great service when we're in the stores. They offer training. They help solve problems. They are paid retail wages for long hours of hard work. When something breaks, they more likely take the customer beating than the much better paid people at corporate. And on and on.
Retail pay where they are losing 10-15 minutes when they are trying to leave for lunch and the end of a shift adds up quickly. 15 minutes a day times 5 days a week times 50 weeks per year is 3,750 minutes or 62.5 HOURS.
You would be complaining if you were in that situation.
And you're telling them to grow up? You can't even put capital letters in your sentence(s), if you can call them that...
But I suppose since it's "angelic" Apple that doesn't do anything wrong it's fine but if it was "evil" Microsoft or "evil" Samsung there would be all guns blazing, right?
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oh i forgot, apple makes you bring your bag into work when you show up for your shift...
people always want to put the blame on someone else... maybe you should realize it's YOUR CHOICE, and a pretty simple situation to avoid if you so desire.
you act like it's 15 minutes EVERY day... hardly the case, usually i'm sure it's less than 2 minutes, and on some very busy occasions like black friday you might wait a little longer. Let's be real here.
My first ever retail job was when I worked at an American Eagle and we had these bag checks. However, the policy was that you got your bag check on the clock. Likewise, they expected you to be in, and with all your stuff put away in the lockers, before your shift started. Quite reasonable IMO, I assumed all places were like this.
swingerofbirch
macrumors 68040
Point by point:
1)The employees being searched would in almost all cases not be the ones who had previously stolen. If Apple had known someone to steal, they would have fired the employee and pressed charges.
2)This is a fairly valid point, but I think that carrying a bag on your person has become such an engrained part of who we are as people that it's a bit unreasonable for a person to not be allowed their personal effects without suffering undue hardship. There are undoubtedly employees who also need to bring in various medical supplies (medicines, water, sugar drinks, etc.).
3)I would argue that if the searches weren't essential to Apple's business operations, the employees wouldn't need to be there. They could just leave. They aren't working in a traditional sense, but they are there for Apple's interests, not their own.
/I am also not a lawyer. I am a high-school graduate. Who wanted to be in a lawyer. And then things happened . . .
These employees are hired and compensated under the conditions of the contract between the employees and employer. They are not hired 'to directly add value to Apple during every minute of their assigned shift'. If Apple isn't getting the desired value out of their labor pool, that's Apple's problem - the employees owe them nothing.
EDIT: How many more people are going to say 'it's their choice to bring a bag, they know the policy'? The mere fact of having a policy doesn't mean it's reasonable, just, or legal.
This is sort of scraping the bottom of the barrel of grievances.
I have to comb my hair before going to work in the morning and I don't get compensated for that.
I have to comb my hair before going to work in the morning and I don't get compensated for that.
Every place I've worked at checks your bag as you leave and sometimes you have to wait a little while. It's wide a spread practice.
I really don't think you understood the article. It has zero to do with people complaining about the bag check, it's about the managers taking up extra time to do it. So if you're getting off work at 10pm, they are saying the managers are so busy they are taking as much as 15 minutes past the employees shift to check their bags and apparently they are cutting into their lunch. I don't know for sure if they are shortening the employees lunch time because of this but it sounds like it.
You are correct, however my point was more that this was not a capricious policy, but one that was necessary because of "some" employees. And since it is not easy to discover who the employees that are stealing are, the alternative is to discourage the practice by making it difficult, admittedly inconveniencing the vast majority who are honest.
Costco did this as well (amongst other things) and lost, although they are appealing. This is common place amongst retailers these days; however, there are ways to avoid it taking any extra time. For example, some places require that all personal items are in clear bags, makes checking quick and easy. And when it does cut into legally required breaks or getting off of work, employers are loosing big time in the courts.
So bottom line is it makes sense that Apple is the next target of a lawsuit, assuming the allegations are true, they will be fined, required to pay back pay, usually assuming worst case scenario, in this case 15 minutes for each break and getting off of work for all employees. This may mean additional fines for not providing a proper 30 minute lunch break that are payable directly to the employee and may also mean additional pay for not receiving their full pay check (that part may vary from state to state, but in California, employers are required to pay 8 hours of pay for every day that the pay check or partial pay check is late. I do think there's a cap on that, but I don't know what it is.)
As for not needing to bring personal items, many need to bring water bottles, purses, wallets, etc. Especially if taking the bus where these things can't be left in the trunk of a car. Really, something like this should have been reported to the labor board long ago.
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