Two major retailers — Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom,
Inc. — have recently experienced firsthand the pricey
consequences of defending allegations of wage and hour violations
at the state and federal level.
Saks is currently facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit for
allegedly failing to comply with California law. Nick Perez v.
Saks & Co., Case No. 3:14-cv-02512 (N.D. Cal.). In
Perez, the Complaint alleges that Saks failed to
compensate its employees for all hours worked and that the company
maintains a corporate policy that deprives workers of required meal
and rest breaks in violation of California law. The Complaint also
asserts related wage statement and waiting time penalties. Perez
seeks to represent a class of all California-based Saks hourly
employees who worked for the company in the last four years. In a
recent motion to remove the case from state to federal court, Saks
suggests that the size of a potential class could be substantial,
as Saks employed an
