Costco Workers Allege Mistreatment; Class Action Suit Filed in California

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in a San Diego County court accusing retail giant Costco Wholesale Corp. of mistreating employees by forcing them to remain at work every night past the time they are getting paid.

The lawsuit alleges Costco routinely violates California labor laws by forcing employees to stay for 15 minutes after the store closes and past their shifts so managers can check registers and remove jewelry from display cases. According to the suit, the requirement amounts to false imprisonment of employees who are not allowed to go home when they are done with work.

The suit was filed on behalf of Mary Pytelewski, a clerk at the Costco in San Marcos, a suburb north of San Diego.

“Costco is building its business and its competitive advantage at my expense and at the expense of all of its other hourly workers,” Pytelewski said in a statement announcing the filing of the suit.

Pytelewski also accuses Costco of retaliating against her by giving her a negative job evaluation after she complained about having to stay at work unpaid. The company assigned a supervisor to watch over her as she worked a cash register, her attorney said.

Costco operates about 200 locations in 40 states. The members-only retail chain is famous for selling everything from food and groceries in bulk packages to clothing, tires, and electronics at discount prices.

The lawsuit seeks financial damages and for the court to order Costco to stop the policy of forcing employees to stay late at work.

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