CVS Agrees To Pay $15 Million Settlement For Unpaid Overtime

Most recently, call center employees working for CVS were able to celebrate a legal victory for having obtained over $15 million in a settlement. Other CVS unpaid overtime lawsuits have gained prominence in the news, so we’ve included them here as well. Read more about them, as well as some relevant pointers on overtime law, in the article below.

Did CVS Fail To Pay Call Center Workers?

In the lawsuit, which was filed in 2014 in a federal court, the plaintiffs claim that prior to their shift actually beginning, the company required employees to be logged into their call system and ready for phone calls. Despite this being actual work, the employees were not paid for their time.

CVS has agreed to a settlement in this case of more than $15 million. The compensation recovered will go to employees at call centers located throughout the country.

CVS Manager Lawsuits

In the past, unpaid overtime lawsuits have been filed against CVS by store managers. One such instance was in 2012, when a $34 million class-action settlement was approved by a Rhode Island judge. This ruling was estimated to have affected more than 10,000 CVS store managers, both current and former. Correspondingly, it opened the door for all eligible individuals to file compensation claims.

A separate lawsuit, this time filed by CVS pharmacists, also reached a successful settlement. Countless allegations were levied against the company; these were mainly unpaid overtime claims relating to the employees working 6-days in a row without overtime pay. The company ultimately chose to avoid the cost and potential poor press of a long litigation process. The final compensation amount was believed to be around $3 million.

Companies Must Pay Workers For All Time Worked

Sadly, it’s not unusual for call center workers to be the victims of wage theft. The most common ways in which wage theft occurs at call centers include misclassifying a worker and telling them that they do not qualify for overtime and failing to pay for all hours worked.

Work begins with the “first principal activity of the workday” which in many cases involves turning on a computer or logging into a system. Yet over and over many companies only pay for specific hours instead of the actual time worked despite the fact that employees are punished if they do not perform certain tasks outside of the hours they are paid for.

Workers who are cheated out of their fair wages can take legal action in the form of a civil lawsuit.

Thousands Of Call Center Workers Recover Compensation Through Legal Action

Like the call center workers who were employed by CVS, thousands of others have obtained full compensation for their unpaid wages through a lawsuit. While it may seem like an impossible task, with the right attorney by your side, the legal process isn’t something to fear.

At Wage Advocates, our legal team will guide you through the legal process, step by step. These steps include:

1. The pleadings: During this phase, the plaintiff submits their legal complaint to the court and the defendants are notified that they are being sued. The defendant may provide an answer to the allegations.
2. The discovery phase: This time is spent collecting the information needed to support the case. Both sides will request information, paperwork, and depositions may be taken. This is the longest part of a lawsuit.
3. Settlement or Trial: The majority of civil lawsuits end with a settlement but this isn’t always possible. When a settlement can’t be reached, the case will go to trial.

Wage Advocates has helped thousands win the money they are owed and we can help you.

How Do I Know If I Should Accept A Settlement?

Choosing to accept a settlement or instead, going to trial is a very personal decision and one that our legal team cannot make for you. There are benefits to accepting a settlement. The amount that will be paid is carefully negotiated and known in advance. One the agreement has been reached, the plaintiff will obtain payment fairly quickly, usually within a month.

However, the defendants often avoid admitting wrong and the amount offered could be substantially smaller than what may be obtained in court. That being said, going to trial can be a risk.

How Much Does It Cost To File An Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit?

At Wage Advocates, we work on a contingency fee. This means that our fee is fixed ahead of time and comes directly out of the compensation that we recover for you. That way, you can rest easy knowing that if we don’t win, you don’t have to pay.

To learn more about our past cases, our law firm, and how we can help you get the payment you deserve, contact our law firm today.