Bimbo Bakeries Unable to Stop Worker Wage Claims Despite Waivers

Bimbo Bakeries USA Inc. failed to convince a federal judge that workers who sold their rights to distribute its baked goods in certain areas released any wage-and-hour claims they had.

The bakery wholesaler and a related entity argued that a general release the workers signed when they sold their distribution rights waived their claims. But distribution agreements the plaintiffs signed when they started working for Bimbo mandated those eventual releases, so they’re prospective waivers unenforceable under state law, the US District Court for the Southern District of California said Wednesday.

Bimbo, like other baked goods distributors, has faced a ...