Apple employees sue over daily searches, overtime

Two ex-Apple retail employees are taking the tech giant to court, alleging that the firm should compensate them for the time spent on daily searches.

In a lawsuit filed July 25 in a San Francisco federal court, the former employees document Apple's screening process -- bag searches conducted whenever an employee leaves the premises, whether for lunch or clocking off for the day. Designed to discourage the theft of valuable Apple devices, the former sales representatives say that they were not paid for waiting time during screening -- which sometimes took 10 to 15 minutes -- and therefore should be entitled to compensation.

The ex-sales representatives allege wage losses of up to $1,500 a year due to the procedure.

One employee in the class-action lawsuit used to work in a Los Angeles store, whereas the other worked at a New York outlet. According to the complaint, the former Apple employees are attempting to represent all of Apple's workers in California who may have missed out on these wages over the past four years, in addition to New Yorkers for the past six years.

Lawsuits emerging internally are a rare occurrence for the iPad and iPhone maker, but the process is not unheard of. In 2011, employee Cory Moll formed the "Apple Retail Workers Union," a labor movement designed to secure better wages for staff as well as act as a conduit to improve the company's practices.

The union now has an established website, social media pages and uses the slogan "Work Different," a take on the Apple's "Think Different" advertising campaign.