A former Nestlé USA Inc. employee filed a proposed class action challenging the food manufacturer’s practice of charging tobacco-using workers an extra $75 per month for health-care coverage.
Nestlé includes a tobacco surcharge in its health plan without retroactively reimbursing the penalties paid by workers who complete a quit-smoking program, the employee said in a complaint filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The company also fails to properly publicize its quit-smoking program or inform workers that statements from their doctor will be considered when assessing the penalty, according to the lawsuit.