"No matter how long we worked each day, they only paid us for our scheduled shift. I spent part of each week working for free," Mr. Amick said.

According to the Complaint, call center workers frequently had to work on their lunch hours to catch up on paper-work. If a call continues into a lunch period, they are required by to continue servicing the customer's telephone call. In addition, workers were not supposed to clock in before they had started a computer and reviewed the day's technical notices and often had to continue working after their shift ended.

The Complaint alleges that American Express Travel violated the wage and hour laws by failing to pay its telephone customer service workers for time they worked before the start of their regularly scheduled shifts, time that they worked during their unpaid lunch breaks, time that they worked after the end of their regularly scheduled shifts, and failed to include all compensation in calculating the regular rate for overtime premium pay.

Attorneys Adam T. Klein (http://www.outtengolden.com/firm/team/partners/adam-klein/) and Molly A. Brooks (http://www.outtengolden.com/firm/team/attorneys/molly-brooks/) of Outten & Golden LLP's (http://www.outtengolden.com/) New York office and Ilan Chorowsky of the Progressive Law Group LLC (http://www.progressivelaw.com/) represent the call center workers and will seek certification of the case as a class action. The case could include up to 1,500 workers at American Express Travel call centers in North Carolina, Utah, Florida, and Arizona.

Attorney Ilan Chorowsky stated that the practice violates the law. "Regardless of what company representatives may have told workers, companies like American Express Travel are obligated under federal and state laws to pay workers for all the time they work, not just for their scheduled shifts," he said.

Attorney Adam T. Klein stated, "Companies should make it a top priority to ensure that its workers are being paid everything they are owed for work well done. Unfortunately, it is a common practice in call centers across the country to require workers to put in time before and after their shifts without pay. "

Attorney Molly A. Brooks added, "Call center employees more than earn their pay in a work environment that is typically highly stressful and low paying. We are investigating the overtime practices at other American Express call centers."

American Express Travel is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express, which has billions in assets and is headquartered in New York City.

The case is "Ashley Amick v. American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc." No. 09-cv- 9780 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

ATTORNEY CONTACTS: Current or former American Express Travel call center employees who wish to learn more about the case can contact attorneys Adam T. Klein or Molly A. Brooks at Outten & Golden LLP, (877) 468-8836; or attorney Ilan Chorowsky at Progressive Law Group LLC, (312) 787-2717.

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/americanexpress/lawsuit/prweb3259484.htm.

PRWeb.com

SmarTrend is bullish on shares of AXP and our subscribers received an Uptrend alert on July 15, 2009 at $26.28, which has returned 55.7% to date.

Write to Chip Brian at cbrian@tradethetrend.com

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American Express Company is a leading global payments and travel company. The company's products and services include charge and payment card products as well as travel-related services offered to customers and business globally.

Rewarding Shareholders with Solid Income

American Express just declared a regular quarterly dividend of 18 cents per share, noting that it is payable on February 10 to shareholders of record on January 11.

The company rewards shareholders with an industry-leading yield of 1.7%.

Bullish Forecasts and Strong Momentum

American Express has seen recent upward revisions of the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings. Full-year forecasts are up from last month's $1.34 per share to $1.46, which included a 1-cent increase over the past week.

For 2010, analysts polled by Zacks hiked estimates from last month's $2.15 per share to $2.32, which included a 2-cent increase over the past week.

Shares staged a nice advance lately, outpacing the market by about 20% over the past 3 months.

Leading the Industry

The company boasts a return on equity (ROE) of 12%, topping the industry average of 8%. Its net profit margin of 6.5% beats the industry average of 4%. The aforementioned dividend yield of 1.7% stands out as most of AXP's competitors offer no dividend.

A Stellar Third Quarter

American Express posted third-quarter earnings of 44 cents per share in late October, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 22%. Earnings surprised on estimates by an average of 31% over the past 4 consecutive quarters. Revenues slipped 16% year-over-year.

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