Judge Tosses Lawsuit Involving ‘Demoralizing’ Employee Bag Searches At Apple Retail Stores

Should retail employees be compensated for the time spent waiting for their bags to be searched after work? No, says San Francisco District Judge William Alsup, who made the pronouncement on Saturday.

In 2013, a lawsuit was filed against Apple for not compensating those who've been forced to spend extra time after their shift waiting to go through security. This requirement is done for obvious reason: Apple's stores are loaded to the brim with high-dollar items that could be shoved into a bookbag without adding much bulk to it. While it'd seem like the massive amount of security cameras that line these stores would be enough, that's not the case.

It's not just the fact that these searches take place that's the problem, but also that they're "demoralizing". If you're an honest worker, it's understandable that such searches could in fact be taken that way. In effect, forced searches prove that the employer doesn't trust their employees - a sad reality.

For one big reason, this suit never had much of a chance at success. Last year, the US Supreme Court ruled that employers were not legally bound to pay workers for these post-shift searches, much to the chagrin of those involved in a similar lawsuit targeting Amazon.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that some 12,000 employees were involved in this lawsuit, Judge Alsup threw it out of court after being persuaded by Apple. At this point, those spearheading the suit are going to look at other options, which could involve an appeal.