Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Comcat had agreed to pay part of the settlement.
A Northern California-based Comcast installation contractor, O.C. Communications, has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a class-action suit filed by 4,500 technicians who claimed they were coerced into underreporting their work hours.
The workers claimed they faced pressure to underreport how many hours they worked and also to fudge meal breaks they didn’t take. Workers also said they had their time cards manipulated and were not reimbursed for expenses.
The suit was filed against Comcast installation contractor O.C. Communications in California, with Comcast later added as a defendant. The suit alleges that the defendants flouted the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and also California and Washington state labor law
Subscription legal news platform Law360 reported the settlement, which was carved out through a mediation process.
“The gross settlement amount of $7,500,000 ... represents more than 86% of the approximate $8.7 million that we calculated in unpaid wages that would have been owed to all class members if each class member had been able to prove that he or she worked 2.5 hours off the clock in every workweek during the relevant time period,” the workers said.
Comcast didn’t immediately respond to MCN’s inquiries for comment.
