Thousands of Target employees work over 50 hours a week. Why don’t they get overtime?

By Max Nesterak

March 17, 2020

Target Corp. has quietly settled half a dozen class action lawsuits and still faces two more from workers who allege the company has failed to pay overtime they’re owed.

Target calls these workers “executive team leaders” and pays them managerial salaries — as opposed to hourly wages — that keep them from earning overtime.

But the workers say they are worker bees like other Target staff, restocking shelves, hauling garbage and bagging groceries. In legal filings, workers say Target regularly requires its low-level managers to work 50 hours a week or more because they don’t earn overtime, while rank-and-file workers’ hours are closely monitored and kept below full-time.

Similar Kohl’s Corp. lawsuit

Target is not the only retailer whose classification of low-level managerial employees has drawn scrutiny. A Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit by a Kohl’s assistant manager in Connecticut against Wisconsin-based Kohl’s Corp. is scheduled to go to trial May 18 in federal court in Milwaukee.

That suit, brought by Stacy Collins of Connecticut along with two other people, was also filed by Hayber, the Target plaintiffs’ lawyer; 825 Kohl’s employees have signed on to be included, according to court records. A company spokeswoman said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

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