Janitors allege WinCo Foods and janitorial contractor Tec Services misclassified them as independent contractors. The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit seeks class-action coverage for the cleaners, and liability has not yet been decided. Misclassification means treating workers as contractors instead of employees. Employee status brings minimum wage, overtime, breaks, and other protections under California law.
Official resource:
- Read the official notice from Janitorialwatch — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- Who filed and who could be covered?
- What pay rights are at stake?
- What do the named workers describe?
- What did Sacramento investigators report?
Who filed and who could be covered?
The suit was filed for three named cleaning workers. It seeks class-action status for janitors cleaning WinCo stores statewide under Tec Services and its subcontractors, according to Supermarket News in its grocery operations report.
The Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund joined the janitors to announce the case in Los Angeles Superior Court. The announcement describes a system using Tec Services and lower-level subcontractors, as reported by the Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund in its case announcement.
What pay rights are at stake?
Plaintiffs allege the contractor model denied minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, paid sick leave, and accurate itemized wage statements. Those are core employee protections for hourly cleaning work. If the cleaners are found to be employees, WinCo and the contractors would owe back wages, penalties, and prospective employee protections rather than contractor pay.
What do the named workers describe?
Abigail Hernandez cleaned WinCo's Apple Valley store for seven months under Tec Services and Dulce Cleaning. She says she received no pay her first month and paid her own transportation and gas.
María Isabel Ramírez is described as a central worker in the case. She says fear of retaliation kept her silent before joining the claims over unpaid overtime and denied breaks.
What did Sacramento investigators report?
Investigators say Sacramento janitors were often paid by Zelle transfers rather than payroll. Pay outside payroll makes hours, rates, and deductions harder to track.
The resulting Labor Commissioner citations totaled over $1 million against Tec Services, plus additional citations to WinCo and subcontractors, according to Prism Reports in its Sacramento investigation report. Readers watching for compensation should track:.
- whether the court grants class-action status
- which stores, contractors, and dates are included
- what proof of work is requested for back pay