More than 3,700 Les Schwab Tire Centers employees in Oregon are due to receive $2,500 checks this month as part of a settlement over a 2017 class-action lawsuit that alleged the chain hadn’t given workers enough time for lunch.
The suit alleged the Schwab employees hadn’t received the full, 30-minute lunch breaks that Oregon law requires for hourly employees. The Bend-based company continues to maintain that it provides the requisite lunch breaks but agreed to pay $16 million to settle the case anyway.
The two plaintiffs who brought the case will receive $15,000 each and 25 others who submitted declarations in support of the lawsuit will receive a $1,000, in addition to the regular $2,500 payment. The plaintiffs’ attorneys will receive $3.9 million.
“At Les Schwab, we believe in treating our employees fairly and providing opportunities for them to not just have a job, but also to build a career with our company. Our employees are at the center of what we do and the reputation we have built,” Dale Thompson, Schwab’s chief marketing officer, said in a written statement. “If you live in a town with a Les Schwab Tire Center, or you’ve been to one of our stores, you know we don’t just sell tires and brakes. We take pride in doing the right thing.”
