Contra Costa, CAIn a recent regulatory filing, Panera Bread Co. said recently it has agreed to pay a $5 million settlement to resolve allegations of California labor law violations, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The news source reports the class-action lawsuits were filed by former employees who claimed the cafe chain did not pay overtime or provide breaks to them at stores in California.
While Panera noted in the regulatory filing that it has set aside $5 million to settle the claims, the California Superior Court still needs to approve the settlement, according to the news provider. Additionally, Panera has reportedly denied any wrongdoing and did not make any admission of guilt in the proposed settlement, according to the filing.
The Dispatch reports that in the lawsuits, which were filed in 2009 and 2011 in the counties of Contra Costa and San Bernadino, former Panera employees accused the company of violating the California Labor Code.
In addition, the plaintiffs claimed Panera failed to provide meal and rest periods and "termination compensation," and violated California's Unfair Compensation Law.
Panera is not the only corporation to have been hit with allegations of labor violations recently, as California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su recently issued additional citations totaling more than $600,000 against Premier Warehousing Ventures for issues uncovered during an inspection on October 12.
According to a release from the state's Department of Industrial Relations, the citation was the result of the company's alleged failure to provide proper wage statements for its workers. The Labor Commissioner also said the company failed to keep its payroll records in the state, which was another violation.
"We hope this citation sends a message to all employers in California that when the failure to keep and provide records as required by law is part of a concerted effort to deny workers their hard-earned wages, we will not tolerate it," Su said in a statement.