Off the Clock Is on the Clock?

That’s what the California Supreme Court said in the case of an $8-an-hour employee who sued Starbucks. The court said employers must pay employees for work they do off the clock, such as transmitting sales data, bringing in outside chairs, and locking up. This case is counter to federal law that does not require such pay for “infrequent and insignificant periods of time beyond the scheduled working hours, which cannot as a practical matter be precisely recorded for payroll purposes.” Is the California decision a pandora’s box for employee lawsuits against employees?