Hannaford Managers Win Class Status for Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit

Hannaford Bros. Co. fresh department managers who say the New England grocery failed to pay them overtime and other wage premiums for work in Massachusetts may pursue their allegations as a class.

The supermarket chain’s managers—who oversee their stores’ bakery, deli, produce, meat, and seafood sections—established that the suit involves common legal and factual questions that predominate over individual ones, the US District Court for the Court of Massachusetts has said.

The managers allege that Hannaford misclassified their work as exempt from overtime pay requirements. They also accuse the company of failing to pay a premium for Sunday and ...