Dollar General facing labor law suit

National small box retailer Dollar General has found itself as the defendant in a lawsuit over unfair labor practices. The company, which has a handbook that mentions how violations of wage laws, such as working off the clock, can lead to termination, allegedly makes it a common practice to have managers and other “key holders” work while off the clock.

It’s alleged that these unfair employment practices take part all across the country, and with at least three stores in the immediate Kansas City, MO area alone, the lawsuit could hit close to home. The plaintiffs in question, however, both worked at a Tennessean Dollar General and filed the suit in Nashville. The two plaintiffs both worked as supervisors, which made them “key holders”, at the store in question.

The suit doesn’t go as far as claiming that these alleged labor law violations are against all employees; in fact, the suit says that other employees, for their 30-minute lunch, which is unpaid, were allowed to leave the premises. The plaintiffs further claim that they were told that it was company policy for them to void items, open registers and perform other “key holder” duties while off of the clock. If these accusations are true, Dollar General will have violated federal labor law.

Labor laws are meant to ensure that employees aren’t taken advantage of by the companies they work for. Anyone who has been forced to work off the clock, or who feels as if they’ve suffered other labor law violations, can contact an employment law attorney to find out what their options are. These attorneys can investigate whether or not an actual violation occurred, and if so, they may know which steps to take in order to obtain financial compensation.

Source: The Tennessean, “Dollar General violated labor law, suit claims”, Bobby Allyn, July 03, 2013