CVS Health Corp. has resolved claims brought forward by distribution center employees in California for unpaid wages. The $1.85 million settlement will end allegations that CVS did not compensate their warehouse employees for time spent waiting to undergo security checks. More than 3,500 eligible employees who worked in California distribution centers between January 16, 2015 and August 15, 2020 stand to benefit from this pay out.
This lawsuit, which was filed back in 2019, claimed CVS violated California state law for failing to compensate its distribution center employees for time spent waiting for and completing security checks. Employees went unpaid for these time periods that would occur before and after every single shift as well as pre and post meal breaks. Company protocol mandates that every employee in the distribution center must have their personal bags inspected every single time they come onto and leave the work floor. As an unavoidable policy that cannot be opted out of, this lawsuit argued that these employees should have been compensated for their time complying with these security protocols.
Over time, these moments spent undergoing these checks add upleaving workers with significant amounts of unpaid wages that can even include overtime at time and a half their regular hourly rate when working over 40 hours per week. If you work in the industry and are constantly waiting around to complete security checks while being off-the-clock, you may be entitled to recover these owed wages. If you would like to speak to an employment attorney to discuss your claims, you can reach our firm, Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP, for a free and confidential consultation at (212) 300-0375. You can also find additional helpful information regarding your rights at our website here.