A California federal judge has certified three class action lawsuits against Equinox, meaning they will move forward as class action suits rather than individual suits, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The three class action lawsuits could impact more than 9,000 Equinox employees in California. The lawsuits allege that Equinox violated California labor laws by requiring employees to work off the clock when they communicate with their clients, prepare programming and call potential members/clients.
Other claims include that employees were required to work more than 40 hours per week but were not paid for overtime, that Equinox averaged employee wages rather than paying them for every hour worked, and that the company didn’t pay promised bonuses. In addition, one lawsuit alleges Equinox did not offer full 30-minute lunch breaks and 10-minute rest periods for every four hours worked, which is a requirement of the California Labor Code.
Equinox has denied the allegations in the lawsuits.
The law firm Makarem & Associates, who is representing plaintiffs, said the people impacted are as follows:
- a wage statement class of people who worked for Equinox in California from April 3, 2018, to the present
- people who worked for Equinox in California as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, or Pilates instructor from April 3, 2015, to the present
- people who worked for Equinox in California who received payments for missed meal breaks, and also received non-hourly pay, from April 3, 2015, to the present
These lawsuits aren’t the only ones that Equinox has faced related to wage disputes. LawyersandSettlements.com details five other cases.