Workers Sue Scoop NYC over Unpaid Overtime
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jul 29 2009 at 6:47 AM
Unpaid Overtime >>

Scoop NYC, a clothing store with locations in New York and six other states in the U.S., is being sued by a group of 15 former employees for unpaid overtime and breaches of Fair Labor Standards Act. A lawsuit has been filed against the upscale clothing chain on 8th July.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Scoop NYC owes more than $300,000 in unpaid overtime wages and $200,000 in lost wages since they were terminated from the job.

The plaintiffs argue that former stock and security employees who worked at store locations in New York and New Jersey regularly worked 50 to 60 hours a week but the Scooping NYC didn’t pay the overtime. The workers say that they were not eligible for overtime payment while promoted to managerial positions because they were given a fixed remuneration as opposed to time-based wages.

Georges Epoh, a former employee and a Cameroonian immigrant said ‘manager’ was just a name they used but his employer exploited him all the way.

Workers also complained about irregular breaks and dangerous working conditions, such as loose wires and stockrooms without insulation.

Majority of the plaintiffs are West African immigrants. Retail Action Project (RAP), a community/labor partnership between the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union and Good Old Lower East Side, helped the workers to initiate the lawsuit. RAP said Scoop NYC fired seven of these immigrant workers without warning in late 2008, saying they weren’t legally eligible to work even though they had all the proper documents.

“It happened to Scoop NYC workers because they were immigrants,” said RAP coordinator Carrie Gleason.

He said the issue could affect every resident all through the city.

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