Ex-Retail Worker Files Overtime Suit

A former Robinson’s-May Inc. employee contends in a lawsuit that the retailer routinely violated California law by paying no overtime to low-level managers who typically work 55-hour weeks, mainly on manual chores such as tidying up and stocking shelves. The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of Mark Gorman of Chatsworth, seeks damages for more than 600 area sales managers. The 56 department stores in the chain typically have 10 to 13 such employees. The suit is part of a national spate of accusations that big companies, seeking an edge at a time when competition has made price increases difficult, are cheating employees out of overtime pay. Attorney Jeffrey Spencer, who filed the class-action suit, estimated Tuesday that the disputed back wages total $18 million--a figure that could be tripled if the suit succeeds. A spokeswoman for Robinson’s-May parent May Department Stores Co. said the St. Louis-based company doesn’t comment on pending litigation. In a statement, May said it is aware of federal and state labor laws and complies with both.