Apple must pay for mandatory post-shift searches, Ninth Circuit holds

The Ninth Circuit has held that time spent in a mandatory post-shift search constitutes “hours worked” that must be paid under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The case was filed against Apple, which argued the time should not be compensable, especially in a class (collective) action, because the employees only needed to go through the searches if they brought a bag to work and some employees did not and therefore never had to go through such searches. The Ninth Circuit rejected the argument holding, at best, it merely went to the question of which employees could recover how much money for such time and which couldn’t because they hadn’t experienced such losses. The issue did not, according to the Ninth Circuit, alter its ruling that such time is compensable when an employee must go through such searches. Not only did the Ninth Circuit reject Apple’s argument, the Court then entered summary judgment against Apple, meaning the case was, from the Ninth Circuit’s perspective, so clear that there was no need to waste further time by holding a trial. The decision follows Ninth Circuit precedent permitting similar class (collective) actions by employees of Nike and Converse.

Source: Frlekin v. Apple Inc., case no. 15-17382 (9th Cir. 9/2/2020).