Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $30 million to retail workers who were subjected to routine searches of their bags off the clock when they left work after or during their shifts.
In 2013, Apple Store employees filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that they were not paid for their time undergoing security checks.
After an eight-year legal battle, lawyers for the workers requested a federal judge to approve of the settlement on Friday. Apple agreed to pay the amount as part of the agreement.
The Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court found Apple wielded control over its workers by forcing them to find a manager or security guard before they could leave the store for lunch breaks or shift endings.
The lawsuit includes 14,683 workers, and each will get $1,286 from the settlement, lawyers said in the court filing.
According to Apple, the searches were necessary to ensure workers were not hiding stolen electronic devices in their bags.
Apple also mentioned that its policy did not restrain its employees’ actions during the actual search, adding that employees could just as easily opt-out by not bringing a bag to work.
