Wipro Faces California Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuit

An overtime class action lawsuit was recently filed against Wipro, a major IT service and consulting company, for violating California wage and hour laws. According to the wage and hour lawsuit, Wipro violated California labor laws by failing to pay wages for overtime services. Labor laws work to protect employees’ rights to fair wages and proper working conditions.

The overtime class action lawsuit was brought by Suri Payala in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County. Payala is a citizen of India who came to the U.S. and worked for Wipro using an L-1B visa. An L-1B Visa is granted to foreign workers who can be classified as qualified specialized knowledge employees, and allows the employee to work in the U.S. for up to 5 years.

Payala worked for Wipro beginning in 2014 as a computer technician. The wage and hour lawsuit alleges that Wipro employed many citizens from foreign companies using L-1B visas and that the company took advantage of the employees’ lack of knowledge concerning California’s wage and hour laws.

In the unpaid overtime lawsuit Payala alleges that Wipro intentionally misclassified its employees who provided computer support, troubleshooting, and technical repair services as employees exempt from overtime pay. Although various exemptions from overtime pay exist under California law, according to California statute computer and technological support employees are only exempt if they make more than an annual salary of $84,130. Payala argues that while he was employed at Wipro as a computer technician he was outsourced to DirecTV, but was not paid for overtime or travel time to the outsourced job site even though he was earning less than $7,000 per month.

In response to the allegations, Wipro announced that it plans to vigorously defend the allegations brought against the company.

Other allegations brought in the unpaid overtime lawsuit include violations of California’s Unfair Competition Act and a failure to pay all wages due at separation. The wage and hour class action lawsuit is currently looking for other employees hired by Wipro who were subject to similar employment wage schemes.

California Wage and Hour Lawsuits

California overtime laws require that for every hour worked beyond 8 hours in a single day, or 40 hours in a single work week, an employee must be paid at least one and a half times the employee’s regular pay rate. Salaried employees are also included in these requirements unless the position qualifies for an exemption.

Labor law attorneys are currently looking for potential clients to bring overtime lawsuits against companies in violation of the California wage and hour laws. Potential plaintiffs will have the option to bring lawsuits individually or as members of a class action lawsuit. Whether or not a lawsuit should be brought individually or as a part of a class action lawsuit is a decision that should be made on a case-by-case basis with the advice of a legal professional. Awards and settlements from these lawsuits will help compensate victims for the wrongs they have suffered.

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.

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