Polo Ralph Lauren settlement moves ahead

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

A federal judge in San Francisco tentatively approved a $4 million settlement Friday for 6,700 Polo Ralph Lauren employees in California who said they were denied rest breaks and locked in for about 15 minutes each day, without pay, while managers checked their bags for stolen items.

The settlement, reached in March during a trial of the 4-year-old lawsuit, appears to be fair and reasonable, said U.S. District Judge Susan Illston. She scheduled a final hearing Aug. 20.

In the meantime, everyone who worked at a Polo store or factory outlet in California from mid-2002 through this January will receive an application to share in the settlement, said Patrick Kitchin, a lawyer for the employees in the class-action suit.

... The lead plaintiff, Ann Otsuka, who held a sales job at Polo's store in Palo Alto in 2004, said managers harassed workers who tried to take breaks, telling them they would fall behind on their sales if they spent time off the floor.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/22/BAAC1DIMPD.DTL

Unpaid searches and daily violation of the minimal labor laws we do have, for years, ends up costing the company a weekend shopping spree for the CEO.

They spent more on meals for their lawyers during the trial.

or more