San Francisco, CA: An employment class action lawsuit has been filed against the online review company Yelp, by its reviewers, alleging the company is in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The reviewers who post to yelp allege the company couldn't exist without them, and that they are employees of Yelp and should be paid for their work.
One of the class members, Lily Jeung of Portland, claims Yelp is basically getting free content - free writers - but then they're making money off of them. Jeung has written more than 1,000 reviews and has more than 5,000 followers, which makes her an "elite"reviewer.
According to the class action, the issue is the reviewers' rights under the FLSA, which states that refusing to pay wages to workers by designating them "reviewers"or "yelpers"or "independent contractors"is unlawful because those workers are vital to the success of the business, which relies mostly on reviews.
"Yelp has devised a system of cult-like rewards and disciplines to motivate its non-wage-paid writers to labor without wages or expense reimbursement, in violation of equitable principles and the FLSA [Fair Labor Standard Act], by offering such rewards as trinkets, badges, titles, praise, social promotion, free liquor, free food, and free promotional Yelp attire, such as red panties with 'Make Me Yelp! stamped across the bottom,"the lawsuit states.
The Plaintiffs are represented by Randy Rosenblatt Law.
According to the class action, the issue is the reviewers' rights under the FLSA, which states that refusing to pay wages to workers by designating them "reviewers"or "yelpers"or "independent contractors"is unlawful because those workers are vital to the success of the business, which relies mostly on reviews.
"Yelp has devised a system of cult-like rewards and disciplines to motivate its non-wage-paid writers to labor without wages or expense reimbursement, in violation of equitable principles and the FLSA [Fair Labor Standard Act], by offering such rewards as trinkets, badges, titles, praise, social promotion, free liquor, free food, and free promotional Yelp attire, such as red panties with 'Make Me Yelp! stamped across the bottom,"the lawsuit states.
The Plaintiffs are represented by Randy Rosenblatt Law.
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