Albertsons LLC

Boise, ID: (Mar-24-07) Employees of Albertsons filed 10 federal and state lawsuits in 1996 and 1997 against the grocery store chain. Those suits were combined as part of a class action lawsuit accusing the company of not paying overtime dues and forcing employees to work off the clock. Some complaints alleged that over 100 hours of overtime had not been compensated. The lawsuits were backed by the United Food and Commercial Workers union. Albertsons was sold for about $9.7 billion to a consortium of stores that include grocery-store chain Supervalu Inc., the nation's third-biggest supermarket chain based in Eden Prairie. In a settlement reached, a US District judge approved $53.3 million class action settlement, which will pay an average of $7,000 to more than 7,000 employees. Some will receive as much as $28,000. [TIMES NEWS: ALBERTSONS OVERTIME]