Fashion retailer Polo Ralph Lauren has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit charging that the company violated California law by requiring employees to buy and wear Polo Ralph Lauren clothes on the job or face disciplinary action. The settlement consists of $1 million in cash and $500,000 in gift cards. Approximately 5,000 current and former employees at Polo Ralph Lauren retail stores and factory outlet stores in California will share in the proceeds.
The lawsuit, filed back in 2002, alleged that the company’s clothing practices violated a state labor code provision mandating that employers pay the costs of buying and maintaining required employee uniforms.
For background on the case, along with guidelines on when you have to pay for employee uniforms, see our story in the December 2002 issue of the California Employer Advisor.
400+ pages of state-specific, easy-read reference materials at your fingertips—fully updated! Check out the Guide to Employment Law for California Employers and get up to speed on everything you need to know.