Apple Facing Class Action Lawsuit From 20,000 Employees Over Alleged Labor Code Violations

Apple is facing a class action lawsuit in California over a number of alleged Labor Code violations, with the company being accused of not providing timely meal breaks, timely rest breaks, and timely final paychecks, reports TechCrunch.

Plaintiffs bring this Class Action against Defendants to recover for, among other things, failure to provide meal and rest periods, failure to furnish accurate itemized wage statements, and failure to pay timely wages on the end of employment, interest, attorneys' fees, penalties, costs, and expenses on behalf of themselves, the Plaintiff Class, and the Plaintiff Subclasses.

Originally filed in December of 2011 by four former Apple retail and corporate employees in San Diego, the lawsuit was certified as class action yesterday and could affect up to 20,000 current and former Apple employees in the state of California.

apple_retail_employees
According to the filing, which demands a jury trial, employee complaints cover a wide range of possible labor code violations. One complaint, for example, cites employees having to work for five hours straight without a meal break, while another complaint suggests that Apple took several weeks to send out a final check to multiple employees.

The lawsuit asks for compensatory damages and restitution of all monies due to affected employees from unlawful business practices, along with interest, but it does not specify a damages amount.

Along with this new class action lawsuit, Apple is embroiled in a class action lawsuit with Apple retail employees who allege that Apple's bag checking policies have resulted in lost wages, a suit that also accuses Apple of violating state labor laws.

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, Macs, and More

Thursday January 15, 2026 11:19 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the United States, according to the company's website. Most of the values declined slightly, but some of the Mac values increased. iPhone ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Friday January 16, 2026 12:12 pm PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...

Top Rated Comments

horsebattery Avatar
150 months ago
Winey FN b****es. Be thankful you don't live in an impoverished nation or war torn country.
Try working in china.
Lost wages? You mean like how my Apple store manager sister have caught and fired employees stealing stuff in their bags?
Five whole hours without a break? Poor babies. Those of us who routinely go 8+ without one really feel for them....
5 hours without a meal break :eek: that would be 7am-noon?! :rolleyes:
Ungrateful. Apple at least gave them a job, in this economy.
Wow, no meal for 5 hours?? What's the world coming to??

Such an overly litigious society made up of ungrateful cry babies.
The amount of comments here disregarding the employees' claims here is staggering. Putting aside that labor laws exist for a reason, it's laughable that these allegations are simply put down so easily. Did [those that commented that way] even bother to read through the story? Or is this one of those cases where the blame would be piled on other companies other than Apple? :rolleyes:

Edit: Added the quotes. Holy crap they just keep coming.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RedOrchestra Avatar
150 months ago
WOW ... the Apple "can do no wrong" fanboys are now into dissing the retail employees - doesn't get much lower than that.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joelist Avatar
150 months ago
Five whole hours without a break? Poor babies. Those of us who routinely go 8+ without one really feel for them....
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Atlantico Avatar
150 months ago
I find it highly disturbing that people think their personal experience or opinion on the law changes the merit of the law.

So your rights were abused and you didn't complain. Whoopdeedoo for you.

Smart people demand their rights. The rest are just losers. :p
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unobtainium Avatar
150 months ago
These claims sound ridiculous. I don't sympathize with Apple employees at all. I have worked at Target for a couple of years and let me tell you I prefer to have not taken my meal break if they just leave me alone and not yell at me for making sure my department was properly zoned at the end of the night. 5 hrs and no break? Sorry Apple sweeties but just about every restaurant I've worked at has forced their servers, bus boys, and cooks to work without a break until the very end of their shift. That's life. You should be privileged to be standing behind a desk and looked up to for advice by customers and only have to deal with one at a time. Try working for Target where during the holidays you have to pick up the phone, try to cash out customers, and not have their kids opening boxes or steal. Ugh, Apple employees and their first world probs.

I really despise people who want everyone else to be as miserable as them. The fact that your job sucks really has no bearing on whether or not Apple needs to follow labor laws. Your company needs to follow labor laws too. Why should Apple get a pass if they're breaking some laws? Because you're miserable at your job?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iCore24 Avatar
150 months ago
You would think a company with 170 billion dollars in the bank and makes a butt load of money every quarter would pay and treat there employees very generous$$$
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)