Former Save Mart Manager Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Company, Alleging Wage Theft

A former Save Mart manager 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 that the Save Mart companies misclassified store managers and assistant managers as exempt from overtime, allowing the company to deny legal compensation under U.S. labor laws. California.

In the complaint, Christiansen alleges that he was regularly required to work overtime per week performing non-management tasks, such as operating cash registers and stocking shelves, without adequate compensation.

The lawsuit accuses the company of multiple violations, including failing to provide minimum wages and overtime, denying meal and rest breaks, and issuing inaccurate wage statements. The lawsuit also claims that amounts stolen from thousands of employees total millions of dollars each year.

Christiansen claims the company’s illegal practices worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release, when Save Mart “made strategic decisions to put profits before its employees.” The lawsuit aims to recover unpaid wages and penalties and force 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 illegal practices, according to the statement. The company is accused of using conciliation agreements to avoid correcting labor violations, most notably in a 2020 settlement over unpaid salaries to deputy directors.

“We support Joseph Christiansen and the many current and former employees seeking justice, and we will vigorously defend their rights to ensure that corporate practices align with California labor laws,” said Andrew Levine, founding partner of the law firm Fairchild & Levine. . “Companies that continue to put profits before the people who make them successful must be held accountable when they violate employee rights.”

Christiansen seeks to represent thousands of current and former Save Mart Companies employees, according to the release. Modesto-based Save Mart Companies operates 187 stores under the Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx brands.

Cutter Law, a Sacramento-based consumer rights firm, and Fairchild & Levine, a California employment law enforcement firm, represent Christiansen.