Publix Charged in OT Suit

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Publix Super Markets improperly compensated managers for overtime work, according to a suit filed in federal court here, attorneys for the plaintiffs said Monday.

The suit, filed by four department managers on behalf of a class, states Publix failed to properly include the value of quarterly and year-end bonuses in the calculation of the manager's overtime. The complaint also asserts these managers should have been paid at a rate of “time and one-half” for their overtime hours, rather than the “half time” fluctuating work week (or “Chinese Overtime”) method used by Publix.

Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix was not immediately available for comment.