Hours and wages lawsuit settled for $99 million

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Hopefully with this overtime suit and the sexual discrimination suit, Novartis will learn SOMETHING! This company was THE worst experience in my professional career. I did receive extra money from the discrimination suit, but it doesn't justify what happened to me. I've moved on, but it still hurts.
 






Anonymous said:
Hopefully with this overtime suit and the sexual discrimination suit, Novartis will learn SOMETHING! This company was THE worst experience in my professional career. I did receive extra money from the discrimination suit, but it doesn't justify what happened to me. I've moved on, but it still hurts.
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But you only work 20 hours per week.
 






I can't wait for my check. I am thinking about starting a new class action discrimination suit to see if I can bleed them a little more. After all, I was part of the group that was most impacted in the last downsizing. Anybody want to guess my demographics?
 






Anonymous said:
Hopefully with this overtime suit and the sexual discrimination suit, Novartis will learn SOMETHING! This company was THE worst experience in my professional career. I did receive extra money from the discrimination suit, but it doesn't justify what happened to me. I've moved on, but it still hurts.
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What this company has learned, they will have us do extra required i-Learn courses to be proactive.
 












Anonymous said:
But you only work 20 hours per week.
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One would have to define just what "work" is. If one defines it as time either sitting and waiting on a doctor in an office and finally having some time discussing product and hauling in samples, well 20 hours could be close. However if windshield time is considered as work time, if teleconference time is work time, if dinner program time is work time, if physician convention time is work time, if paperwork time is work time, if car maintenance time is work time, if travel time to meetings is work time, etc.; a rep will usually go over 40 hours. (Keep in mind to that our salary week is defined as something like 37.5 hours, not 40 hours.) Novartis set up the definition of our job and they defined the hours, we didn't.

Apparently the courts did not agree with Novartis' arguments, so arguments about how much someone worked or didn't is somewhat silly. Does anyone who wants to be "Big Brother" and wants to argue that someone only worked 1 or 2 hours per day want to show the video surveillance documentation that they have on someone else to prove that such an assertion is justified? Likely not. Also, if you, particularly if a rep, were busy checking on somebody else's use of time, where does your use of time like that fit into your job description?

As someone else implied, I don't believe anyone granted a settlement check will be turning it down for whatever reason.
 






Anonymous said:
One would have to define just what "work" is. If one defines it as time either sitting and waiting on a doctor in an office and finally having some time discussing product and hauling in samples, well 20 hours could be close. However if windshield time is considered as work time, if teleconference time is work time, if dinner program time is work time, if physician convention time is work time, if paperwork time is work time, if car maintenance time is work time, if travel time to meetings is work time, etc.; a rep will usually go over 40 hours. (Keep in mind to that our salary week is defined as something like 37.5 hours, not 40 hours.) Novartis set up the definition of our job and they defined the hours, we didn't.

Apparently the courts did not agree with Novartis' arguments, so arguments about how much someone worked or didn't is somewhat silly. Does anyone who wants to be "Big Brother" and wants to argue that someone only worked 1 or 2 hours per day want to show the video surveillance documentation that they have on someone else to prove that such an assertion is justified? Likely not. Also, if you, particularly if a rep, were busy checking on somebody else's use of time, where does your use of time like that fit into your job description?

As someone else implied, I don't believe anyone granted a settlement check will be turning it down for whatever reason.
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They don't consider windshield time as my manager told me i needed to be at my first call at 9 and I live 1-2 hrs from my territory.
I do look at the time i leave my house as worktime no matter what.
 






Anonymous said:
One would have to define just what "work" is. If one defines it as time either sitting and waiting on a doctor in an office and finally having some time discussing product and hauling in samples, well 20 hours could be close. However if windshield time is considered as work time, if teleconference time is work time, if dinner program time is work time, if physician convention time is work time, if paperwork time is work time, if car maintenance time is work time, if travel time to meetings is work time, etc.; a rep will usually go over 40 hours. (Keep in mind to that our salary week is defined as something like 37.5 hours, not 40 hours.) Novartis set up the definition of our job and they defined the hours, we didn't.

Apparently the courts did not agree with Novartis' arguments, so arguments about how much someone worked or didn't is somewhat silly. Does anyone who wants to be "Big Brother" and wants to argue that someone only worked 1 or 2 hours per day want to show the video surveillance documentation that they have on someone else to prove that such an assertion is justified? Likely not. Also, if you, particularly if a rep, were busy checking on somebody else's use of time, where does your use of time like that fit into your job description?

As someone else implied, I don't believe anyone granted a settlement check will be turning it down for whatever reason.
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Car maintenance time? Sheesh.
 






Anonymous said:
They don't consider windshield time as my manager told me i needed to be at my first call at 9 and I live 1-2 hrs from my territory.
I do look at the time i leave my house as worktime no matter what.
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Not windshield time from home to the first call, but travel time between calls. After all we cannot "beam" from ofiice to office. Certain sales positions require high mileage, and many territories are high mileage, particularly out west where the population density is low. Even if some reps live smack dab in the middle of their territory, there are some that are putting 30,000 miles and more on a company car per year. How much time is needed to put 30,000 miles on a car? Assuming an average speed of 40 miles per hour, it would take 750 hours. Assuming 46 weeks worked per year, that would be better than 16 hours per week behind the wheel of the car (2 days) and that is necessary to conduct work, so it is work time.

For others - KAMs, RAMs, long term care, hospital, etc. Some accounts are significantly geographically separated so time traveling could be even higher!
 






Anonymous said:
My question is, How do we know if we are on the list? Do you know who I can contact at that law firm?
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I have participated in a class action law suit for overtime in another industry. Everyone should be technically in as long as you were employed at the duration of which is specified in the award. Where this award differs from the one that I was involved in... Is that Novartis settled on an amount so as not to prolong the case. The attorneys agreed on the amount and so if there were 7700 total, that doesn't mean that they are entitled to equal amounts...

There will be calculations on what the appropriate "yearly" award is, then you would multiply it by the amount that you're here... My guestimate would be approximately $1200 per year (based on total award divided by reps) however plaintiffs that spent more time submitting information and working with the attorneys may be entitled to a greater amount of the award. You also have to factor 33% that the attorneys get... Minus taxes.. Hopefully about $600/year...

I figure whatever the amount... It's payback for all the unattainable out of reach goals we were given, while we still grew the comapny's business exponentially... As in..we made $32 bill last year? They're not losing any sleep
 












Anonymous said:
I have participated in a class action law suit for overtime in another industry. Everyone should be technically in as long as you were employed at the duration of which is specified in the award. Where this award differs from the one that I was involved in... Is that Novartis settled on an amount so as not to prolong the case. The attorneys agreed on the amount and so if there were 7700 total, that doesn't mean that they are entitled to equal amounts...

There will be calculations on what the appropriate "yearly" award is, then you would multiply it by the amount that you're here... My guestimate would be approximately $1200 per year (based on total award divided by reps) however plaintiffs that spent more time submitting information and working with the attorneys may be entitled to a greater amount of the award. You also have to factor 33% that the attorneys get... Minus taxes.. Hopefully about $600/year...

I figure whatever the amount... It's payback for all the unattainable out of reach goals we were given, while we still grew the comapny's business exponentially... As in..we made $32 bill last year? They're not losing any sleep
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You must be a man because any female knows how it works from the gender discrimination suit. The longer you work here the more money you will get.
Yes, the lawyers get their share and the lead plaintiff gets more. In Velez, there were a bunch of women that got over $100K each those were ones that testified etc.
This case don't know if there are as many and if the award would be as large.
All i know is the money will come in handy to all that have lost their jobs
I got a check plus compensatory from the gender suit and it is banked and ready for when I lose my job.
 












Anonymous said:
They don't consider windshield time as my manager told me i needed to be at my first call at 9 and I live 1-2 hrs from my territory.
I do look at the time i leave my house as worktime no matter what.
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So you think your commute is work. Wow, wouldn't all employees like that deal. Another example of a lazy self entitle overpaid rep.
 




































Do I understand this correctly? If you worked for Novartis let's say between 2005 and 2011, are no longer with the company, not in NY or CA, did not receive the paperwork to opt in, you will still be included in the lawsuit?

Also if you didn't finish out a year do they prorate the payment?

Are they only paying out up to 2007?
 






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