A former Save Mart manager has filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, alleging wage theft. The total value of unpaid wages is estimated in the millions.
Joseph Christiansen, who worked at Save Mart for more than 20 years, alleges Save Mart Companies intentionally misclassified store managers and assistant managers as exempt from overtime, allowing the company to deny lawful compensation under California labor laws.
In the complaint, Christiansen alleges he was regularly required to work extra hours per week performing nonmanagerial tasks, such as operating cash registers and stocking shelves, without proper compensation.
The lawsuit accuses the company of multiple violations, including failing to provide minimum and overtime wages, denying meal and rest breaks and issuing inaccurate wage statements. The lawsuit also claims the amounts stolen from thousands of employees add up to millions of dollars each year.
Christiansen claims that the company’s unlawful practices worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release, as Save Mart “made strategic decisions to put profits over its employees.” The suit aims to recover unpaid wages and penalties, and to compel Save Mart to change its labor practices.
The complaint further alleges that Save Mart has a history of settling wage theft claims while continuing the same unlawful practices, according to the release. The company is accused of using settlement agreements to avoid correcting labor violations, most notably in a 2020 settlement over unpaid wages for assistant managers.
“We stand with Joseph Christiansen and the many current and former employees seeking justice, and we will vigorously pursue their rights to ensure that corporate practices align with California labor laws,” said Andrew Levine, a founding partner at the Fairchild & Levine law firm. “Companies that continue to put profits before people who make them successful need to be held accountable when violating employee rights.”
Christiansen seeks to represent thousands of current and former Save Mart Companies employees, the release said. Save Mart Companies, headquartered in Modesto, operates 187 stores under the Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx brands.
Cutter Law, a firm based in Sacramento that protects consumer rights, and Fairchild & Levine, a firm specializing in the enforcement of California employment laws, are representing Christiansen.
The case is currently pending in the Superior Court of California, Stanislaus County.
Save Mart has not responded to a request for comment as of Thursday evening.
For more information or to inquire about joining the lawsuit, contact the attorneys representing the plaintiffs at cutterlaw.com/class-action-lawsuits/save-mart-wage-theft.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 6:00 PM.
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