Hadsell Stormer & Renick File Suit on Behalf of Hotel Employees Alleging Minimum Wage Violations

LOS ANGELES--()--Hadsell Stormer & Renick LLP announced that seven hotel workers filed a class action lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court this week, alleging their employer has shorted them thousands of dollars in wages.

Six of the plaintiffs allege being paid less than the minimum wage while working at the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. A former barback, as well as three housekeeping workers, a banquet worker, and a restaurant server, allege that management underpaid or have been underpaying them by up to $5.37 per hour.

The Sofitel Los Angeles is subject to a 2014 city law requiring certain larger hotels to pay at least $15.37 per hour to all employees as of July 1, 2015.

“I thought about how much money Sofitel owes me,” said Maria Galvez, a housekeeper at the Sofitel, “and then I realized that I wasn’t the only one. That’s when I decided we had to do something.” For a housekeeper like Ms. Galvez, the Sofitel Los Angeles has allegedly shorted her more than $575 since the minimum wage went into effect last July. The hotel employs about 40 housekeepers.

All seven plaintiffs also allege Sofitel Los Angeles has neither consistently paid them for all the hours they worked nor paid them the legally required premium for overtime hours worked beyond eight hours in a day, including for time housekeepers are assigned to clean rooms after they have clocked out and when false departure times are recorded so employees are not paid overtime.

Finally, the plaintiffs allege that the Sofitel Los Angeles owes employees one hour of pay for each work day they were not provided their state-mandated meal and rest breaks. They say the hotel regularly gave them assignments they knew wouldn’t leave them enough time to take their breaks and didn’t hire enough people so they could cover each other during breaks.

“The Sofitel Los Angeles is ignoring their most basic obligation to pay employees the correct minimum wage, pay them for all the time they work, and pay a wage penalty for not providing legally-mandated meal and rest breaks,” said Randy Renick, the plaintiffs’ attorney. “My clients are taking a stand against companies like the Sofitel who break the law.”

Contacts

Hadsell Stormer & Renick, LLP
Randy Renick, 626-585-9600
rrr@hadsellstormer.com

Contacts

Hadsell Stormer & Renick, LLP
Randy Renick, 626-585-9600
rrr@hadsellstormer.com