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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A former Nielsen Co. employee is suing the global marketing research and television ratings firm, alleging she and other current and former workers are owed back compensation, much of it for missed meal and breaks as well as overtime.
Armida Marquez brought the proposed class-action suit in Los Angeles Superior Court. court, alleging multiple violations of the state Labor Code. Marquez asks for a court finding that the company violated the Labor Code provisions and that back wages be paid with interest.
"(Nielsen) had the financial ability to pay such compensation, but willfully, knowingly and intentionally failed to do so in order to increase (its) profits," the suit states.
The proposed class would consist of all Nielsen past and present hourly, non-exempt employees for the prior four years leading to the filing of the suit. A Nielsen representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Tuesday.
Marquez worked for Nielsen from June 2018 through last March 30 and her duties included recruiting, signing and providing services to households of people who allow their television and radio viewing listening to be monitored so that Nielsen can use the data to compile ratings, according to the suit.
Marquez and other similar employees often took calls at all times from the company as well as the monitored households on a large range of issues, the suit states. However, the employees were frequently asked to work outside their work hours without compensation, were not paid complete monies due for overtime and missed meal and rest breaks and also did not always get reimbursed for out-of-pocket business expenses, the suit alleges.
"(Nielsen) also implemented policies that prohibited (Marquez) and the class members from accurately recording the actual time worked, resulting in a failure to pay plaintiff and the other (proposed) class members all wages owed," the suit alleges.
Marquez further alleges that Nielsen management knew or should have known that they were required to timely pay all wages owed to her and the other proposed class members at the correct rate of pay.