|
.
The Global
Hospitality Advisor
.
|
|
By Marta Fernandez, September 2004
It�s open season on employers in the hospitality industry who fail to understand and properly implement their wage and hour obligations. The hot national market for wage and hour class actions is getting even hotter in California. In his last days in office, former California Governor Gray Davis signed into law Senate Bill 796, aka the Bounty Hunter Law. It creates a new �private right of action� so that California employees can sue their employers for most violations of the California Labor Code. Prevailing plaintiffs may recover lost wages plus significant civil penalties and attorneys� fees. Although Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed modest reforms to the law, the most significant provisions of the legislation remain intact and continue to adversely impact employers. Plaintiffs� attorneys have sprung into action, loaded their weapons and filed a variety of these Bounty Hunter lawsuits against employers based on workplace posting violations, unlawful pre-employment inquiries in employment applications, failure to provide rest breaks and meal periods, unlawful pay practices and wage deductions and almost invariably, a claim for violations of California Unfair Competition Laws. In June 2004, California hospitality employers Wolfgang Puck Casual Dining, Crystal Park, Hollywood Park and Bell Gardens Bicycle Club casinos, among numerous others, were targeted in Bounty Hunter class action lawsuits. Common allegations against the casinos include the casinos� requiring card dealers to buy casino chips or post a bond payment in order to take possession of a bank to perform their job duties. Dealers purportedly were required to take responsibility for any loss to the bank at the end of their work shift. Also, the casinos allegedly required dealers to make a payment to the casino out of any earned tips at the end of every half-hour work rotation, regardless if they received any tips during the work rotations. Allegations against Wolfgang Puck Casual Dining include the company�s failure to provide non-exempt employees with rest and meal periods, failure to provide additional compensation for working through rest and meal periods, failure to provide additional compensation for split shifts, and failure to pay such wages upon termination of employment. The plaintiffs also allege that the company failed to maintain required time records, failed to provide employees with appropriate wage statements and unlawfully required employees to purchase uniforms. 8 Steps to Reduce the Risk of Bounty Hunger Lawsuits
Marta Fernandez is a senior member of the Global Hospitality Group and Labor Department. As a management labor lawyer, Marta specializes in representing hospitality industry clients in all aspects of labor and employment, including implementation of preventative management strategies, such as executive training, arbitration enforcement and policies and procedures; defense of administrative and litigation claims, such as employee claims of sexual harassment and discrimination; and labor-management relations including union prevention, collective bargaining for single as well as multi-employer bargaining units, neutrality agreements and defense of unfair labor practice charges before the NLRB. For more information, please contact Marta Fernandez at 310.201.3534 or at [email protected]. The Global Hospitality Group® is a registered trademark of Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP ©2004 Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP |
Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP web site: http://www.jmbm.com Email Jim Butler at [email protected] Or contact Jim Butler at the Firm Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP 1900 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles, CA 90067 Phone: 310-201-3526 The premier hospitality practice in a full-service law firm |