http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200902201902DOWJONESDJONLINE000899_FORTUNE5.htm
Staples Ordered To Pay $2.5 Million In Overtime
A
U.S. federal jury in Newark, N.J., ordered Staples Inc. (SPLS) to pay
almost $2.5 million to 343 plaintiffs in a case brought under the Fair
Labor Standards Act, the plaintiffs’ attorneys said Friday.After a
six-week trial, the jury ruled the office-supply retailer violated the
law by classifying certain store managers as exempt and failing to pay
them overtime. The jury also found that Staples had acted willfully in
violating the law.
Paul Capelli, a Staples spokesman, said the
company disagrees with the jury’s decision and is exploring options for
appeal.”Staples store managers have an important management
responsibility for ensuring that hourly associates provide great
customer service in stores every day,” he said. “We firmly believe that
we’re fully compliant with the law.”Seth Lesser of Klafter Olsen &
Lesser, one of the plaintiffs’ two trial counsel, said the case was the
first of several collective and class action lawsuits filed against
Staples for misclassification of store managers.
Gary E. Mason
of The Mason Law Firm LLP, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs,
said: “Staples maintained throughout, and continues to hold the view,
that it pays its employees properly. The jury’s decision has
definitively proven the company wrong.”Staples shares were at $15.72,
down 0.2%, in after-hours trading.