Stewart’s Shops Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Employee Pay

According to the Albany Business Review, Stewart’s Shops, a chain of convenience stores in eastern Upstate New York and Vermont, has been hit with a $20 million class action lawsuit alleging that the stores violated wage laws by not paying employees for all of the hours they work.

A former company employee who worked at a Stewart’s near Watertown filed the lawsuit on January 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York in Albany, NY.

Stewart’s, whose headquarters are located in Malta, declined comment about the lawsuit, according to the Business Review.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit allegedly worked for Stewart’s for several months beginning in August 2013. She reportedly worked the nightshift, with the store closing at 11:30 p.m., but often stayed until 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m., because of “the amount of work required to close the store.”

In her lawsuit, the plaintiff alleges that she was never paid for staying past her shift, and she was repeatedly told by managers that she would not be compensated for her time. The plaintiff also claimed that she would often stay past her shift, in order to ensure a smooth transition from one employee to another and was not paid for working. This, according to the plaintiff, was part of an employee policy known as “Hand Off Don’t Run Off.”

Due to the alleged non-payment by Stewart’s, the plaintiff said she was paid less than state and federal minimum wages for the hours spent on the job.

The lawsuit is seeking class action status on behalf of all non-exempt hourly employees who worked at Stewart’s for the past three years.

If you have been wronged by your employer in a similar fashion and have any interest in speaking with an attorney about a potential class action lawsuit, please contact Gary S. Graifman, Esq., toll free at (866) 971-0927 to schedule a free initial consultation or complete the form on this page to let our skilled attorneys review your case.

Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. – Class Action Lawyers

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2014/01/class-action-suit-filed-against.html?page=all