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Plaintiffs in a Dollar Tree employee lawsuit have requested approval for a $2.5 million settlement to end the suit, according to Law360. Plaintiffs allege that Dollar Tree distribution centers committed wage violations including not allowing employees proper break and rest periods. The plaintiff class includes anyone who worked at a Dollar Tree distribution center between April 2011 and the end of 2019.
Dollar Tree Employee Arbitration Agreements
According to Law360, Plaintiff Terry Snipes brought his claim against Dollar Tree Distribution Inc. in April 2015. The suit and class membership have been complicated by Dollar Tree’s employee arbitration program.
Lead plaintiff Terry Snipes opted out of this program before filing his suit. In May, U.S. District Judge Morrison England was asked by Dollar Tree to enforce arbitration measures signed by about 1,600 employees after the October 6, 2014 cutoff.
The judge forced the claims into arbitration and dismissed claims made by employees who signed arbitration pacts after the Oct. cutoff under the California Private Attorneys General Act. However, these 1,600 employees are still eligible to access the Dollar Tree employee lawsuit settlement.
The workers said in Friday’s preliminary settlement motion, “While certain of the settlement class members agreed to arbitrate their claims with defendant on an individual basis, defendant agrees, for purposes of settlement only, that the claims of such settlement class members are typical of plaintiffs’ claims.”
The Dollar Tree Employee Lawsuit Settlement
In the Dollar Tree employee lawsuit, plaintiffs alleged that Dollar Tree’s labor and wage practices are in violation of California law. Workers allege the company failed to give appropriate breaks and maintained poor timekeeping practices.
Negotiations and significant litigation have led to a tentative settlement. The requested settlement of $2.5 million is seen as a big victory for the workers.
The workers said the settlement represents “an outstanding result in light of the strengths and weaknesses in the case. In light of the significant risks involved in this matter the settlement represents an excellent result for the settlement class” in their preliminary settlement motion.
The settlement includes $125,000 to go towards claims filed under the California Private Attorneys General Act with $93,000 of that amount going to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Another $750,000 will go towards attorney fees, according to Law360. The roughly 2,400 class members of the settlement will receive an average of $625 each. Any uncashed settlement checks are meant to be sent to the Veterans Legal Institute.
Dollar Tree’s History of Employee Mistreatment
Good Jobs First estimates that Dollar Tree and its divisions have committed 13 wage and labor violations since 2000 resulting in fines of $65,328,128. This is by far the most costly of Dollar Tree’s violations, but employee discrimination is a close second resulting $45,218,750 in penalties for the company. The Dollar Tree employee lawsuit is only the tip of the iceberg of Dollar Tree’s alleged violations.
The U.S. Department of Labor also reports that a Dollar Tree in Pennsylvania put employees in danger by blocking emergency exits, failing to secure dangerous materials, failing to maintain sanitary bathrooms, and improperly storing and maintaining materials such as electric panels.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found similar violations at another store in Massachusetts. All told, these two locations racked up more than $800,000 for putting employees in hazardous situations.
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75 thoughts onDollar Tree Employee Lawsuit Reaches $2.5M Settlement
I also want to be involved in law suit
I use to work at the east highland dollar tree for a year I was operations manager & there was times I worked on lunch and had to run cashier during breaks , I got left alone on New Year’s Day cashier didn’t show up and store manager didn’t answer me for 6 hours no break or lunch .
I was a store manager for dollar tree in san bernadino ca. I worked sometimes 7days a week open to close. I worked over the required 50hrs the entire time I was the store manager. Due to my pay being salary the dm stated this was allowed without extra pay. I have all my timesheets printed out due to my termination I saw coming. I was harassed for 9 months by a new dm. Who was allowed to do so. I know that this is an unfair company with favoritism. Please add me if still open.
Oh and lunches were supposed to be for 1 hr as well. I rarely had lunch let alone a break. I was not allowed to leave the property due to the location of my store. Which was unfair.
All the above negative comments about Dollar Tree are true. They do not give breaks, the bathrooms are unsanitary, you get fired for being and excellent employee, the bathrooms and back storage are filthy. The storage has rats. I need to be part of a class action lawsuit againt them.
All the above negative comments about Dollar Tree are true. They do not give breaks, the bathrooms are unsanitary, you get fired for being and excellent employee, the bathrooms and back storage are filthy. The storage has rats. I need to be part of a class action lawsuit againt them.
They got caught editing my time when I sent message to corporate office they never responded but I have pic of it
They did that to me too, edited my time. I was in a store in Columbia, SC
I worked at Dollar Tree on Bandera and Grissom in San Antonio Tx. The managers would make us clock out at 10pm on the dot but we still had to clean, restock, count n close the drawers and follow the managers to the bank in my own truck and wouldnt allow lunch breaks and i signed to join the suit but since 2014 ive moved twice. Can someone contact me please.
I work for dollar tree as freight manager .I have had lunch breaks taken out when i haven’t even taken one pretty much running the store and was told i would get bonus after our inventory if we did well I literally worked my self til I couldn’t go any more we scored really well and to get told by DM laughing saying I don’t get bonus so i got the sm a 1,000 bonus wow I think the company need to really start showing appreciation for all the team it takes a team to run a store not 1 thst does nothing
I worked for dollar tree im 2015 for distribution center in California im trying to see who i would need to speak to i was in the timeframe of the lawsuit
I worked at the Lakeside,CA store for 3 1/2 years. I was fired over a heated telephone conversation with a manager AFTER I was assaulted by customers and was fired without being told I was fired for defending myself and following the law. For over 2 years I drove
the manager to the bank and never got paid for it. None of us did. We always had to take our breaks passed the 3 hour mark, same with lunches. I never got paid extra for chasing the mice around and cleaning up dead
ones. That store has always been infested with them. Store mgr makes you do it. Shameful.
There is a lawsuit filed in California. Paying respectfully due.
Arlington heights, Il. Steve B. And Diane Anderson are the store manager and d.m. , underminding, kept reported 2 thieves as managment and fired the worker! Me. If you do things right, your fired. To much pay…your fired. If you do your job. Your fired. Help. Over worked and never paid for banking hours and O.T.