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Benefits August 7, 2008
Apple IT Worker Sues for Overtime Pay
August 7, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A lawsuit filed
against computer maker Apple claims IT workers "are subject
to conditions resembling indentured servitude" and are denied
required overtime pay and meal benefits in violation of
California state law, according to a new release.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
David Walsh, a former network engineer at Apple who filed the suit, says he was routinely forced to work more than 40 hours per week, missed meals, and often had to spend evenings and entire weekends on call without receiving extra pay.
The suit alleges that Walsh and other Apple IT workers were purposefully misclassified as management by the company so it could avoid paying them overtime rates required for non-management personnel and to avoid lawsuits, the news release said.
Walsh’s attorneys are asking the judge to grant class status to all of Apple’s California IT workers, including those who are dispatched to perform support functions at Apple retail stores.
After settling a similar suit in 2006 (See Suit: IBM Techs Didn’t Get Proper OT ), IBM cut the base pay of 7,600 computer technicians by 15% (See Following Overtime Lawsuit, IBM Cuts Technicians’ Pay ).
The lawsuit is available here .