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Discount grocer Aldi has agreed to pay $2 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by some of its workers in California who say they were not properly paid minimum and overtime wages, among other things.
The settlement came after the two sides entered into mediation in December to try to reach an agreement. It marks the second time in two years the Aldi has faced allegations of wage and hour claims and the second time the company chose to settle.
Under the terms of the settlement, submitted to U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for its approval, affected Aldi employees will receive anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to around $1,700. The two lead plaintiffs stand to receive as much as $10,000 each.
California Class Action Claims
The California class action against Aldi started as two separate cases in 2019 filed by former employees who had the same basic complaints. Jeree Gant was employed by Aldi as an hourly-paid, non-exempt employee from October 2017 to May 2018 and filed a lawsuit against the company in February 2019.
Jennifer Lacey-Salas was also employed as an hourly-paid, non-exempt employee, in her case from August 2017 to January 2019. Lacey-Salas filed her lawsuit against Aldi in June 2019.
The cases were consolidated into one class action case, covering about 2,000 current and former Aldi employees, in federal court in March 2020.
Gant and Lacey-Salas accused Aldi of failing to pay minimum and overtime wages and of not providing them with meal and rest periods during their shifts. Once they left their jobs, the plaintiffs said, Aldi failed to pay their owed wages in a timely manner, failed to reimburse them for business-related expenses and filed to give them proper wage statements.
The former employees claimed Aldi’s behavior violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and California Labor Code.
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers in the public and private sector to pay a minimum wage ($7.25 per hour, as of 2009), pay overtime wages (not less than one and half times the rate of regular pay) for any time worked in excess of 40 hours during a work week, and sets certain recordkeeping and youth employment standards, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The California Labor Code requires employers provide workers with a 10-minute break for every four hours worked, in the middle of that work period, the state’s Department of Industrial Relations says.
Aldi has denied all the claims against the company.
Previous Settlement with Aldi Employees
In 2016, Aldi employees in Syracuse, New York filed a class action lawsuit against the grocery store chain claiming the company paid some of its staff flat-rate salaries for the same work its hourly wage earners were doing. The hourly workers qualified for overtime pay, but the salaried employees, who were store managers, did not.
According to a report on that case published by Syracuse.com, the website of the Post-Standard newspaper, the managers involved in the lawsuit were working “60 to 70 hours a week for an average pay of about $80,000.” A total of 520 plaintiffs ultimately joined the legal action.
Aldi agreed to settle the case, for $10 million, in 2018. The payouts varied widely based on the length of time each plaintiff worked for Aldi. The largest settlement was $20,000, Syracuse.com reported.
The discount grocer is also facing a lawsuit filed by four store managers in Maryland who claim they, too, were denied overtime wages in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The Aldi Class Action Lawsuit is Jeree Gant and Jennifer Lacey-Salas, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, v. Aldi Inc., Case No. 2:19-cv-03109-JAK-PLA, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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22 thoughts onAldi Employees Agree to Settle Class Action for $2 Million
My name is benita Austin and I was just curious about the payment 1 would receive. I’m part of the class action law suit against Aldi. If it helps my case Number is 19-st-cv-21190
I worked at aldi in Carrollton tx and Ramona Yonker and the district manager there are very evil, vile ppl. Bunch of miserable worms. This whole company’s management needs to be purged.
The same in Minnesota they didn’t pay me over time
I worked for Aldi’s for 4 yrs I was a shift manager I never received any breaks the entire time I worked there I was fired after filing a complaint against my district manager for showing favoritism towards an employee who was grazing she covered up for her
Wanting to sue. I also did not receive breaks. Anyone else get told they can’t leave the premises if you are the only manager on shift?
I also worked for Aldi on long island ny store. same nonsense at that store one time a lead called me on my day off that I HAD to come in on my day off to fix the freezer that I packed out apparently it was done wrong I told her NO I won’t be coming in to fix I should’ve been trained on packing out a freezer which I wasn’t so too bad I’ll see u when I’m scheduled they couldn’t do shit too me I wound up quiting on them with there bullshit rules your scheduled work 7a-330p but u have to stay late if your not finished AGAIN NO I hated working for that company
I worked for Aldis for 3 years. There was many many red Flags when starting. Favortism was a Large one. Managers would talk bad about employees. We would have group employee chats where managers and employee would make fun of regular employees. Belittled employees. I had been harrassed many times over work speed. We are times when running pallets. How unstable pallets we’re is a safety issue. I was injured and still was made to do things I was unable too. I was humiluated because of my restrictions and how I was treated. Having a injured wrist and still being on a register with a weight limit. When forced to work the register for long periods of time causing my injury to beocme worse and I was unable to perform my job without dropping products. Then, not making my numbers. Many times, my time would get changed. If I didnt get a break, they would change it so it looked like I did. I addressed it and they told me thats what happens at Aldis. Sometimes we do not get a break. We are busy. I said. That illegal and againts the law. And changing it should ver hoy fired. But, employees are in the wrong and managers are gold. I have never worked for such a bad buisness.
I also worked for Aldi on long island ny store. same nonsense at that store one time a lead called me on my day off that I HAD to come in on my day off to fix the freezer that I packed out apparently it was done wrong I told her NO I won’t be coming in to fix I should’ve been trained on packing out a freezer which I wasn’t so too bad I’ll see u when I’m scheduled they couldn’t do shit too me I wound up quiting on them with there bullshit rules your scheduled work 7a-330p but u have to stay late if your not finished AGAIN NO I hated working for that company
Court is may 3rd 2022, checks go out july 2022
What about the people in Wisconsin. It waits my estimated total is 16 dollars
I worked for Aldi warehouse in Rosenburg complained about them over working me. Nothing never got done about went to office complained. Hurt my leg for them to keep sending me to there Workmen Compensation doctor for them to keep rescheduling my MRI never did one for them to deny me Compensation. They short you of hours All Department heads play together. Told me i had to Resign to take my 401k out but had to because they were not paying me while I was out of work had to pay my bills or be homeless.Wish i was able to get a Lawyer and file a Law Suite. Something needs to be done probably not the only one.After being used to a Position and worked doing Receiving for months for them not to give me the position. Worked there 3 1/2 yrs.going on 4 yrs. They all work together on wrong doing up to the Team Leads and the Supervisors over them also Sad.
Checks?
I was apart of this lawsuit. How come I still haven’t received a check?
why haven’t they started sending checks to everyone who was included?