Factory Workers File Suit Against Bebe

Women’s clothing retailer Bebe Stores Inc. faces a lawsuit from workers in an El Monte factory who claim they were fired for complaining about 11-hour work days and other unlawful conditions.

Xue Zhen Zhao and seven other workers in the garment factory allege they were forced to work as much as 11 hours a day, six days a week. They were fired after they complained, according the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The workers claim they were “denied wages, harassed and subjected to inhumane treatment.” Their suit seeks lost wages, unspecified damages and disgorgement of “ill-gotten gains.” The National Asian Pacific American Legal Center is representing the plaintiffs.

Bebe President John Parros said his company has not seen the lawsuit and cannot comment on specifics. He said the company has an enforcement program to make sure its goods are manufactured in accordance with U.S. and California labor laws.