Meizlish & Grayson

Engel, et al. v. Burlington Coat Factory. On October 27, 2011, a lawsuit was filed against Burlington Coat Factory on behalf of employees who were formerly employed as “Area Managers” to recover unpaid overtime compensation. Area Managers regularly worked overtime but were paid a salary. They were considered exempt management employees by the company and were not paid overtime. In reality, the Area Managers spent the vast majority of their work days performing non-managerial tasks such as moving stock from the dock; putting new products on the sales floor; returning merchandise to the sales racks, maintaining the appearance of their departments and greeting customers.

The Area Managers were expected to work as many hours as were necessary, despite not being paid overtime. The company discontinued this job classification in June 2011. Many of the former Area Managers were moved to hourly positions or dismissed from the company. Some became salaried Merchandise Managers.

If you were employed by Burlington Coat Factory as an Area Manager and would like to learn more about this case, please contact Bruce Meizlish or Deborah Grayson at (513) 345-4700 or via email.