LOS ANGELES — A former management trainee for fast food company Chipotle Mexican Grill recently filed a federal class action unpaid overtime lawsuit against the company, alleging the defendant should have paid her and other workers overtime under changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Those revisions to the FLSA mandate that any worker earning less than $47,476 a year must be eligible for overtime wages, but they were blocked late last year by a Texas federal judge and remain in legal limbo while the current administration appeals the decision.
The unpaid overtime class action lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the District of New Jersey, claims that Chipotle should have continued to pay management trainees under the FLSA updates, despite the injunction put in place by the Texas federal judge. According to the complaint, Chipotle has briefly switched to an hourly pay system for trainees before reverting back to placing the workers on a salary after the judge issued his injunction.
Attorneys for the plaintiff argue that the injunction does not apply to private businesses and Chipotle should have followed the Labor Department’s revisions to the FLSA. The lawsuit seeks to represent any similarly situated management trainees denied overtime wages by the defendant. The named plaintiff claims she routinely worked as many as 10 hours of overtime per week but was only paid a flat salary of $43,082 a year, just over $4,000 short of the blocked FLSA salary change.
Whether the plaintiff succeeds or fails in her claim, Chipotle is likely to appeal the ruling to a higher court and further stymie the workers’ attempts to recover compensation for all their hours of hard work. Furthermore, the new administration may simply roll back the FLSA salary and overtime updates and prevent similar claims from arising in the future, although attorneys for the Labor Department are currently working on their own appeal to overturn the injunction preventing millions of workers from receiving a pay increase.
Management Trainee Overtime Pay Lawsuit
Call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page if you believe that your wage rights are being violated under the FLSA. Our top-rated team of unpaid wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action to help you seek justice.
Our office will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. Because strict time limitations apply for filing these types of claims, we advise you contact our experienced unpaid overtime wage attorneys at your earliest convenience and preserve your legal rights.