Lawsuits Allege Albertson’s Forced Unpaid Overtime

Lawsuits accusing Albertson’s Inc. of pressuring employees to work unpaid overtime have been expanded to include all 20 states in which the market chain operates, union and company officials said Monday.

Union-financed class-action suits had been filed previously in three states, including California, where 170 of Albertson’s 826 stores are located.

A new federal class action filed last week in Boise, Idaho, where the company is based, seeks unspecified damages on behalf of employees in the 17 additional states.

Union officials said Monday that it’s possible all the suits will be merged, creating a class of about 150,000 former and current workers. They said they have taken 4,000 complaints so far. Albertson’s denied systemwide problems. Company spokesman Michael J. Read said the union, which represents 40% of Albertson’s employees, has sued as an organizing tactic.

Smith Barney supermarket analyst Gary Giblen said that although grocery chains recently have been hit with a number of discrimination lawsuits, there have been few involving overtime issues. Based on past suits, Albertson’s could be forced to settle for tens of millions of dollars, Giblen said.