Security Guards working for Miller Event Management in San Luis Obispo, California, filed a lawsuit late last month, claiming various violations of the California Labor Code.
Zakay Law Group, APC, together with Blumenthal, Nordrehaug, Bhowmik & De Blouw, LLP, filed the employment class action in the San Luis Obispo Superior Court on July 25, 2019. More information on Blumenthal, Nordrehaug, Bhowmik & De Blouw, LLP can be found on their website at http://bamlawca.com.
The defendant is Miller Event Management. Miller Event Management provides security and parking services and solutions for events. Some of the defendant’s customers include the Mammoth Lake Event, Booza Palooza, Via Robles Amphitheater and Avila Beach Golf Course and Resorts.
The plaintiff was employed as a security guard in California between 2018 and 2019, when he was terminated. The plaintiff is seeking to represent himself, but also all other security guards who worked for Miller Event Management in California during the last four years.
The employment class action alleges various employment law violations. According to the complaint, the defendant required plaintiff and other security guards to remain on the premises during the off-duty 10-minute rest periods, in violation of California labor laws. Moreover, plaintiff and other California employees were unable to take timely, uninterrupted and duty-free 30-minute meal breaks, as required by the California labor code, the action says.
The class action also claims that the security guards were required to show up to their post 10-15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of their shift, but defendant failed to pay them for that time. This, according to the action, resulted in unpaid wages, including overtime wages.
Finally, the complaint contends that employees were required to download and use the “Team Xpress” application on their phone for scheduling purposes. The security guards used the application on their personal cell phones, but Miller Event Management did not reimburse them for the cell-phone usage, as required by employment laws in California.
The class action seeks monetary damages for the unpaid wages, uu-reimbursed cell-phone expenses, and the missed meal breaks and rest breaks. The action also seeks penalties for those violations under the Private Attorneys’ General Act (PAGA), as well as penalties for the inaccurate wage-statements provided to the security guards because of those employment law violations. Additionally, the lawsuit asks the Court to order Miller Event Management to comply with the California Labor Code moving forward.
For more information about the lawsuit, a copy of the filed complaint is available below.
If you or anyone you know works as a security guard in California, please contact our California employment attorney for a free consultation.