(KMJ) Fresno – It’s alleged that the corporate-owned branches of Taco Bell in California were ignoring state law when it came to employee break rights within the workplace.
Two of three of the Taco Bell employees who initiated the lawsuit were in Federal court in Fresno, for the beginning of trial on Monday, February 22nd.
in 2007, plaintiffs Sandrika Medlock, a taco bell shift manager, and Lisa Hardiman, a former taco bell crew member, filed the unpaid overtime class action lawsuit, accusing the chain of violating California labor codes.
Stuart Chandler, the lead council attorney representing the plaintiffs in the claim against Taco Bell, says there were three parts to the trial involving missed rest breaks, shortened meal breaks and underpaid meal periods.
“What amounts to literally 10’s of thousands of Taco Bell employees, and mostly former employees who weren’t paid everything that Taco Bell owed them for the work that they did, talking about corporate restaurants in the State of California, going back as early as September of 2003.” – Plaintiff’s Attorney Stuart Chandler.
Previously, U.S. District Court Magistrate Stanley A. Boone had admonished Taco Bell about its repeated attempts to stall the wage and hour lawsuit, which had been pending since September 2007.
KMJ news did reach out to the defense attorney – but did not receive a response.
Chandler said class action cases rarely go to trial, and the outcome of the case will be watched by other employers.
Trial is expected last to March 25th.
