March 09--A group of 104 former managers of Dominick's Finer Foods this week will begin receiving back pay for overtime worked at the closed grocery chain, as a result of a federal class action lawsuit settled last month.
Together, the group will receive $1.25 million.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Chicago in February 2014, alleged that Dominick's, owned by Safeway, violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and Illinois minimum wage laws by failing to pay managers overtime. Dominick's closed its local stores in late 2013.
Under the settlement, in addition to back pay, the two former managers who brought the suit, Janice Balonek and Jana Bready, will receive $10,000 each as a service award to be paid from the settlement amount. Another group of 22 managers will receive service awards of $1,500 each. The settlement also includes $4,500 related to the employees' attorneys fees and related costs.
Attorneys for the employees said the checks will begin to be mailed this week.
The $1.7 million settlement was approved Feb. 12 by U.S. District Judge James Holderman.
mepodmolik@tribpub.com
