Class Action Suit Brought Against Polo Ralph Lauren
September 20, 2002
A lawsuit against Polo Ralph Lauren was brought by a number of current and former employees. The lawsuit was brought by the Law Offices of Daniel Feder. The suit alleges that the company had a practice of forcing their shop assistants to purchase and wear Polo clothing as a condition of their employment.
According to Mr. Feder, this practice violates the provisions in the California Labor Code that require an employer to pay for the costs of any uniform that employees are required to wear at work.
Policies like these are a direct violation of a California law that governs uniforms in the workplace. Thus, if an employer requires particular clothes to be worn on the job, the clothes must be provided to employees free of charge.
This policy of forcing employees to purchase brand-name clothing causes hardship for many employees. Retail employees generally do not make much money. This situation is made worse because the clothing at stores like Polo is so expensive.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs in the case allege that Polo requires them to keep updates on the latest season’s fashions. This means that they buy new wardrobes every few months.
San Francisco attorney Daniel Feder filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs.