July 10--One former and two current Hertz Corp. employees in the Los Angeles area filed a class-action lawsuit Thursday against the rental car company, alleging staff were forced to work off-the-clock.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that Hertz created small "Hertz Local" branches staffed with only a handful of employees.
Each branch was given responsibility for "sizable" rental fleets and large customer bases, making it "practically impossible" for employees to take meal and rest breaks, according to the lawsuit.
Employees were required to clock out for meal breaks but continue working, and were not compensated for all the hours they worked, the lawsuit alleges.
"Frankly, from a civil rights and emotional standpoint, to be paid for the work you did I think will be a huge justice," said Sean Andrade, an attorney for the plaintiffs. "Monetarily, you're talking thousands of dollars."
Hertz did not immediately comment.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged labor violations have occurred since at least 2011. The employees are seeking wages and penalties, though an exact amount was not listed because the scope of the problem is unknown, Andrade said.
The lawsuit says Hertz employs or has employed more than 150 workers in the Los Angeles area during the time period. But Andrade said the lawsuit could potentially apply to hundreds, if not thousands, of workers since the same problem has been found in neighboring counties.
