Lowe's Workers' Overtime Case Settled for $29.5M

A California court approved a $29.5 million class-action settlement agreement (see below) between workers at Lowes Home Improvement stores and the company in a lawsuit that charged the company required employees to work "off the clock" -- i.e., without being paid -- before and after their normal shifts.

Lowe's denied all the allegations in the overtime lawsuit, and the settlement agreement states that the lawsuit's resolution "is neither a concession nor and admission" of any wrongdoing alleged by the workers in their overtime lawsuit.

You can read the terms of the Lowe's worker's overtime case settlement here:

This overtime lawsuit was more than seven (7) years old, and involved numerous rulings by California appellate courts.

In a 2003 opinion in the case, California's Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District held that a trial court was wrong to deny a request by Lowe's employees Cynthia Parris and Willie Lopez to communicate with other employees about a potential class action against their employer.

Related Resources:

• Court Grants Approval of $29.5 Million Settlement by Lowes Home Improvement Centers, PR Newswire (Sept. 22, 2009)
• Lowe's to Pay $29.5 Million to Settle Overtime Lawsuit, Central Valley Business Times (Sept. 23, 2009)
• Lowe's Companies, Inc., Reuters
• Marlin and Saltzman, LLP, Lawyers for the Lowe's workers
• Hunton & Williams, LLP, Defense Lawyers for Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse