Apple Store Employees Claim They're Losing Out On Pay Because Of Security Checks

REUTERS/Andrea Comas

Some Apple Store workers are losing up to 20 minutes a day from in-store security checks, Businessweek's Josh Eidelson reports.

Apple mandates that every one of its retail employees perform a security check and a technology check before leaving work every day.

This is designed to prevent theft, but since each Apple Store usually has over 100 employees, it can also be a time-consuming process.

Federal labor laws don't support employees' claims for back pay, but some state laws do.

California, for instance, defines payable hours as an employee being under the control of their employer.

That means an Apple Store employee doesn't have to be working the floor and selling devices to be paid for their time.

Over 12,000 current and former employees are reportedly about to file a lawsuit against Apple in the Golden State.

Employees at Amazon's ultra-secure warehouses have also complained about the time it takes to complete security checks.

In December the Supreme Court ruled in a 9-0 decision that Amazon did not have to compensate employees for time spent going through security checks after their shifts ended.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.