Thousands of Current and Former Outback Steakhouse Employees Join Wage Payment Class Action
The parent company behind Outback Steakhouse faces a major wage payment class action lawsuit involving over 100,000 hourly employees of the organization, who claim the company violated minimum wage law, overtime pay, and required off-the-clock work.
The wage payment class action was originally filed in 2013 in Nevada, when two former employees of the Bloomin’ Brands’ Outback Steakhouses – Brooke Cardoza and Cody Hancock – filed the wage violations lawsuit against the brand on behalf of all hosts, bartenders, servers, and other hourly workers who had been or were currently employed by the company in the last 3 years. The two plaintiffs alleged that the company forced employees to work off-the-clock – usually for 15 minutes, but sometimes close to 2 hours – before clocking in for their scheduled shifts. Employees were also required to go to unpaid training sessions, unpaid mandatory meetings, or work at promotional events for the company for little to no pay.
As of October last year, Florida certified the wage payment class action and 237 current and former employees from 27 states had joined. Outback Steakhouses owns 769 restaurants across the country. As of April this year, there are now 135,338 current and former employees who have opted into the wage payment class action lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey stated on April 10th that plaintiffs had until July 20th to join.
Despite being a Fortune 1000 Company, which made $3.9 billion in 2012, Bloomin’ Brands failed to pay employees properly for their time spend at work or involved in work-related activities. Most of the work positions with the restaurants are hourly. There are still a potential 4,131 people who could join the wage payment class action.
Wage Payment and Labor Violations in South Carolina
South Carolina is an “at-will” employment state, meaning an employer can fire or let go of employees for any reason without giving an explanation. If you are a part-time or hourly wage worker in the state, this law might make you feel vulnerable to any abuses, but you still have rights, both at the federal and state level.
South Carolina complies with federal minimum wage laws, and if you believe that you have not been paid the minimum wage, or you have been asked to perform work without remuneration, or you did not receive overtime pay for working more than 40 hours per week (provided that you are a non-exempt employee), then your employer has violated both state and federal law. You may be able to file a wage payment lawsuit to get the money you should have been paid. You could also be eligible for a wage payment class action if you are not the only employee who has faced a problem receiving wages from your employer.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Wage Payment Class Action Lawsuits
The South Carolina wage payment and labor violations attorneys at the Strom Law Firm understand the intricacies of South Carolina employment law and can help you get the payment you worked so hard for. We offer a free, confidential case evaluation to discuss your employment situation, so contact us today for help. 803.252.4800
