Sommers Schwartz attorneys Kevin Stoops and Rod Johnston filed a class action in a North Carolina federal court against home improvement center giant Lowe’s on behalf of current and former department managers, service managers, support managers, and other non-exempt hourly managers.

According to the allegations, Lowe’s violated state and federal wage and hour laws by requiring hourly managers to work a full-time schedule, including overtime, but failed to pay them for the hours they worked. Specifically, the plaintiffs claim that Lowe’s had them perform compensable work tasks before and after their scheduled shifts and during unpaid meal breaks, periods when they are not clocked into the company’s timekeeping system. Those tasks include reading and responding to work-related smartphone communications during non-work hours and meal breaks, reporting early for work to perform perimeter checks of retail stores, unlocking and locking main entrances, arming and disarming alarm systems, and logging into and out of Lowe’s computer system – tasks for which the plaintiffs are not paid.