NEW YORK — A New York State Supreme Court judge has entered an order granting class certification to claims by a trio of A&P employees that the company systematically and knowingly denied overtime pay to hourly employees.
The certification means the case will continue on behalf of thousands of clerks, cashiers, bakery workers, deli personnel and other hourly paid workers in New York state who are challenging A&P's policies dating back to 1998.
No trial date has been set. The next step in the legal process will involve notifying workers of their rights to join in the class action, Rachel Geman, a partner at Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, one of two New York-based law firms representing the three principal plaintiffs, told SN.
An A&P spokeswoman told SN the chain never comments on pending litigation.
“We are pleased the court recognized that the workers' claims against A&P for willfully forcing employees to work ‘off the clock’ to reduce payroll expenditures are suitable for review on a classwide basis,” Geman said.