Walgreens to Pay $23M Class Action Settlement to Calif. Employees

Walgreen Co. has agreed to pay $23 million to settle nine consolidated wage and hour class action lawsuits filed in California federal court. The Walgreens class action settlement will resolve allegations that the pharmacy chain failed to pay employees overtime for mandatory security checks and failed to provide adequate breaks.

The Walgreens overtime class action settlement will provide compensation to nonexempt employees who worked at a California Walgreens store since May 13, 2007, including pharmacists and regular retail store employees.

Walgreens continues to dispute the claims raised in the unpaid overtime class action lawsuits, but agreed to the settlement as a quick means for a resolution. A Walgreens spokesperson stated: “We always have been and continue to be committed to paying our employees fairly and in compliance with the law. We believe the claims made in the lawsuit are unfounded, but have entered into the proposed settlement in order to bring this litigation to a conclusion.”

In addition to allegations of unpaid overtime, the consolidated Walgreens class action lawsuit accuses the pharmacy chain of failing to provide duty-free meal and/or rest periods, failing to pay all wages owed at termination, failing to reimburse employees for business expenses, failing to provide itemized wage statements, and more.

In a join motion filed March 25, both sides told the court they chose to avoid “extensive costs and uncertainty of litigating nine cases” and entered negotiations for settlements after the cases were consolidated. Both parties agreed to a $23 million class action settlement in August 2013. It has taken several months to finalize the details of the agreement.

A hearing will be held May 12, 2014, to determine whether to grant preliminary approval to the Walgreens unpaid overtime class action settlement.

File an Unpaid Overtime Class Action Lawsuit Claim

There are a number of companies facing wage and hour class action lawsuits. If you believe you were treated unfairly in terms of wages and/or hours worked, you may qualify for a wage and hour legal claim. Learn more by visiting the Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit: Wage & Hour, Overtime Pay Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Submit your information and a lawyer will contact you if you have a case for a wage and hour claim review.