Albertson’s Ditches California Worker’s Would-Be Class Wage Case

Albertson’s LLC is free for now of claims that it breached a contract with California workers when it allegedly failed to give them proper breaks or pay for missed meals.

The proposed class action says the grocery store chain promised to comply with California law on meal breaks in its onboarding documents. But the “only enforceable agreement” that applies to the worker’s employment is a collective bargaining agreement, so federal labor law preempts the breach-of-contract claim, the US District Court for the Central District of California said Tuesday.

Plaintiff Joseph Martinez seeks to represent a class made up of Albertson’s ...