Dive Brief:

• The Los Angeles City Council came to an agreement that will end a lawsuit prompted by a city-wide ban on sanitation workers taking naps during their lunch breaks.
• The settlement totals $26 million and was approved by the council on a 9-2 vote. Over 1,000 waste workers were involved in the class action lawsuit against the city. 
• Sanitation department officials implemented the rule to avoid the PR headaches of having residents see municipal employees sleeping on the job.

Dive Insight:

Lawyers for the drivers argued that the rules were too constrictive and limited many aspects of what the drivers were allowed to do during their meal breaks. The Bureau of Sanitation also forbade drivers from having lunch together in large groups at eateries or patronizing restaurants that were located outside of their routes. 

Each driver will receive a cut of about $15,000 in lost wages as part of the settlement, while the lawyers will score almost $8.7 in legal fees. If the settlement had not been reached, damages could have escalated to $40 million, according to LA city councilman Paul Krekorian.