Lawrence Equipment Allegedly Violated Labor Law: Meal & Rest Break Violations
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In recent news, an equipment rental company faces allegations of labor law violations stemming from missed meal breaks and rest periods.
The Case: Rudy Pedroza v. Lawrence Equipment Leasing, Inc., Lawrence Equipment, Inc. (Lawrence Equipment)
The Court: Los Angeles County Superior Court of the State of California
The Case No.: 24STCV09752
The Plaintiff: Rudy Pedroza v. Lawrence Equipment
The plaintiff in the case, Rudy Pedroza, filed a class action lawsuit, including allegations that rigorous work schedules prevented employees from taking their off-duty meal breaks and rest periods. Pedroza also claimed employees were not fully relieved of work duties for their meal periods.
The Defendant: Rudy Pedroza v. Lawrence Equipment
The defendant in the case, Lawrence Equipment, allegedly failed to offer workers the required meal breaks and rest periods, or more specifically, employees were periodically interrupted during their off-duty meal breaks with requests to complete tasks for Lawrence Equipment. According to the California lawsuit, the employer violated multiple California labor laws. Allegations listed in the lawsuit include:
Failure to pay minimum wage
Failure to pay overtime wages
Failure to offer employees the required meal and rest periods
Failure to reimburse their employees for required business expenses
Failure to provide accurate itemized wage statements
Failure to provide wages when due
When Should California Employers Provide Employees with Rest Breaks and Meal Periods?
California labor law mandates specific meal breaks and rest periods for non-exempt employees to make sure workers have enough time to rest and eat while at work or on the job. When employees work more than five hours daily, employers must offer them a 30-minute meal break. If an employee's total workday is six hours or less, they can waive their meal break if both the employer and employee agree. California employees are entitled to another 30-minute meal break on workdays that extend beyond 10 hours. (If the total hours worked in one day are no more than 12, the second meal break can be waived by mutual consent, but only if the employee did not waive their first meal break of the work day). Employers must also provide employees a ten-minute rest period for every four hours worked (or major fraction, defined as anything more than two hours). Rest periods are paid time taken in the middle of work. If an employer does not provide required rest periods, the employee must be compensated with one additional hour of pay at their regular rate for each workday the rest period is not offered.
The Case: Rudy Pedroza v. Lawrence Equipment
Lawrence Equipment employees were allegedly required to complete work at Lawrence Equipment for more than five hours during a shift without being offered an off-duty meal break. Additionally, the suit alleges Lawrence Equipment didn't offer their employees a second off-duty meal period as required on workdays when employees worked 10 hours. According to the plaintiff, Lawrence Equipment kept employees on call and on duty during what was supposed to be their "off duty" meal periods. Pedroza also claimed that the defendant did not provide additional compensation to employees for the missed meal breaks as required. The class action lawsuit, Rudy Pedroza v. Lawrence Equipment, is pending in California's LA County Superior Court.
If you have questions about how to file a wage and hour lawsuit, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced California employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.
