Ecolab Reached $7.5M Overtime Pay Class Action Settlement

Ecolab reached $7.5 million class action settlement to resolve allegations that the company owes employees overtime pay.

The Ecolab overtime class action lawsuit consisted of 580 Class Members in total. According to the plaintiff Nick Cancilla, Ecolab, a water, hygiene and energy technology company, has not been paying its pest-elimination service specialists overtime, according to California overtime law.

U.S. District Judge James Donato approved the California overtime lawsuit’s proposed settlement agreement, which requires Ecolab to pay $7.5 million into a settlement fund. All participating Class Members are guaranteed to receive at least $100 from the Ecolab lawsuit.

Additionally, over $2 million was awarded in attorney fees and costs.

Judge Donato’s 7-page order states that this class action settlement money will be distributed among the Class based on the number of weeks each Class Member worked at Ecolab. Some of the class action members are current employees of the company, and some are former employees.

The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for December 9.

Ecolab describes itself as an international force in water, hygiene, and energy technologies and services. The company provides its products and services to multiple industries, including food service, health care, and oil and gas markets in order to keep their environment clean and achieve sustainability goals.

California Overtime Laws

Wage and hour laws in California require employers to pay their employees one and one half times their regular hourly wage for overtime hours worked between eight hours and twelve hours per day.

The laws also require that employees should be paid twice their regular hourly wage for hours worked exceeding twelve hours per day. Employers should also pay twice the regular hourly wage for more than eight hours of work on the seventh consecutive workday.

Some employees are exempt from these overtime requirements. Employees whose salaries exceed $28,080 and spend over half of their work time doing administrative, professional, executive, computer professional, agricultural, motor carrier, or outside sales activities are exempt from these overtime pay statutes.

Some occupations are exempt from overtime requirements under California law, but not under federal law. These include:

• professional actors
• parent, spouse, child, or legally adopted child of the employer
• resident managers of small homes for the aged
• participants in the national service programs
• direct employees of the state or any county, incorporated city or town, or other municipal corporation

Filing a California Wage and Hour Claim

California wage and hour class action lawsuits may be filed within three years from the date that the claim arose. (Some penalties, however, are subject to a deadline of one year.) Wage claims can be filed with a local office of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE).

Included in the file should be as much information and documentation as possible such as the name, location, and method of doing business with the employer, as well as any other documents which support the claim.

If you or someone you know has suffered from California wage and hour laws not being met, you may be able to file a California wage and hour lawsuit.

Join a Free California Overtime, Wage & Hour Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were forced to work off the clock or without overtime pay in California within the past 2 to 3 years, you have rights – and you don’t have to take on the company alone.

Get a Free Case Evaluation Now