Wave of Hobby Lobby Employees Seek Denied Overtime Pay
Law firm Klafter Olsen & Lesser LLP encourages aggrieved Hobby Lobby workers nationwide to contact firm for legal advice on getting due back pay
NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Retail employees of the arts-and-crafts giant Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. are taking legal action to recoup the overtime wages their employer has denied them. Workers have increasingly turned to the arbitration process, one of the only legal avenues available to them, to hold Hobby Lobby accountable for routinely forcing them to work more than 40 hours per week without compensation beyond their weekly salary. Attorneys for the nationally acclaimed law firm Klafter Olsen & Lesser LLP represent several workers in arbitration proceedings and have repeatedly and successfully argued that misclassifying workers as managers exempt from earning overtime pay is a clear violation of federal and state laws.
"We are confident that our team can win back money that Hobby Lobby routinely steals from its employees across the country," said Fran Rudich, Partner at Klafter Olsen & Lesser and lead attorney for the workers in these arbitration proceedings. "Too many people are forced to work long hours, giving up valuable time with their families, without earning any overtime pay. Our legal team is continuing the fight for disenfranchised workers nationwide."
The employees in these cases were labeled by Hobby Lobby as "co-managers" or "assistant managers," in order to exempt them from the Fair Labor Standards Act requirement that employees be paid time-and-a-half wages for all hours worked in excess of 40 per week. In actuality, their jobs do not involve managerial work: they don't have the authority to supervise other workers, to delegate tasks or to hire or fire other employees. Instead, they perform the same tasks as other hourly workers, such as stockers, cashiers and other non-managerial employees.
As a condition of employment, Hobby Lobby forces its employees to sign a binding arbitration agreement, waiving their right to bring most workplace disputes—anything from harassment to discrimination to wage theft–before a judge or to join forces with colleagues who might be facing similar issues.
Klafter Olsen & Lesser has developed an expertise in representing aggrieved workers in these mandatory arbitration cases. The firm has successfully negotiated settlements on behalf of numerous Hobby Lobby employees and is actively pursuing cases to win a measure of financial justice for workers who rely on overtime to help make ends meet. Workers who feel they've been wrongly categorized as managers and unfairly denied overtime pay are encouraged to contact the firm, as are attorneys looking to refer such cases.
About Klafter Olsen & Lesser LLP
Klafter Olsen & Lesser LLP is a leading, national plaintiffs firm that specializes in complex individual, class and collective actions nationwide. With offices in New York and Washington, D.C., the firm boasts extensive experience in securities, employment, commercial, privacy and mass torts litigation, and has a thriving appellate practice. More information is available at www.klafterolsen.com or 914-934-9200.
CONTACT:
Brian Levin: 646-200-5331
[email protected]
SOURCE Klafter Olsen & Lesser LLP
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