Two Former Apple (AAPL) Employees Sue Over Bag Searches Routinely Conducted As They Left Work, Fair Labor Standards Act In View

Two former Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) store workers are suing the tech giant for searching their bags every time they left the store, arguing that hourly workers should be paid for the time spent undergoing the inconvenient daily searches.

The 5-to-10-minute screenings, designed to discourage theft, are conducted every time sales staff leave the store, including for meal breaks, according to the lawsuit filed in San Francisco, Reuters said Tuesday.

The two plaintiffs, who worked for Apple in many states, including California and Georgia, for many years, seek unpaid wages, overtime compensation and other penalties, and claim that Apple violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and state labor laws.

“Apple has engaged and continues to engage in illegal and improper wage practices that have deprived Apple Hourly Employees throughout the United States of millions of dollars in wages and overtime compensation,” reads the complaint.

Amanda Frlekin and Dean Pelle, the two plaintiffs, have sought class action status for current and former Apple workers who have faced the same problem. They both estimate they lost $1,400 to $1,500 in unpaid wages per year, thanks to the search practice.

Apple didn’t immediately return a request for comment from the International Business Times. Lawsuits against Apple from employees are relatively rare.