A class action lawsuit accuses school bus operator Durham School Services of shorting workers' pay, denying them rest periods and other possible violations of California labor law.
The lead plaintiff, Jessica Cardona, worked as a bus driver for Durham from June 2021 to May 2022 and was paid by the hour, said the lawsuit, originally filed in San Bernardino Superior Court, and later moved by the school bus company to federal court.
Durham allegedly did not compensate employees for missed meal and rest periods; allegedly shorted employees on wages, including overtime and vacation; allegedly failed to reimburse business expenses; and allegedly did not provide itemized wage statements, said the lawsuit, which is now pending in Los Angeles federal court.
The company also allegedly shorted workers wages on their final paychecks after they left the company, the suit says.
"When Defendants failed to pay its hourly non-exempt workers all earned wages timely upon separation of employment, they knew what they were doing and intended to do what they did," the lawsuit states.
Durham has denied the accusations.
The suit seeks back wages plus $100 for each employee per pay period for the initial violation and $200 for each subsequent violation, plus attorney fees.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Leah M. Beligan of Beligan Law Group, of Irvine, and Michael L. Fradin, of Fradin Law LLC, of Skokie, Illinois, and Athens, Ohio.
Cardona v. Durham School Services LLC, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, 2:23-cv-08670