Cintas workers can sue as a class, court rules

Cintas Corp. workers in Southern California can sue the company as a group over claims that it failed to pay the so-called living wage required of Los Angeles city contractors.

An appeals court in Los Angeles overturned a lower court’s ruling that said the more than 300 workers had no “well-defined community of interest.” There are sufficient common questions of law and fact to justify suing as a class, the appeals court said in a ruling.

Cintas, the largest maker of uniforms in the U.S., launders flame-retardant uniforms for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Workers sued in 2004, saying the Cincinnati-based company didn’t pay the minimum wage required of city contractors.