Get in the Zone: Retaliation at Autozone?

A recent lawsuit alleges that the automotive parts retailer AutoZone terminated one of its employees for participating in a class action overtime suit against the company. In mid-August, a class of AutoZone store managers suing AutoZone for unpaid overtime asked a federal judge in Arizona to force the company to rehire Volena Glover-Hale, an Autozone store manager allegedly fired due to her involvement in the overtime suit.

It is unfortunate that employers sometimes illegally retaliate against employees who assert their legal rights to fair compensation. For example, in the recent case of Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., the U.S. Supreme Court found that an employee who alleged he was illegally fired for complaining to his employer about not getting paid for all hours worked had properly stated a claim for unlawful retaliation. Also, Riggan Law Firm, LLC, a St. Louis overtime law firm, recently sued Rabo Agrifinance on behalf of a former Rabo employee who he was fired after exercising legally protected rights under the FLSA.

Cases like the Autozone case highlight the risks that employees face when seeking to remedy job-related problems, such as violations of their rights to minimum wage and overtime pay. However, by pursuing legal claims against their employer, employees can win the compensation they are owed, as well as liquidated damages (which doubles the amount of unpaid wages).

If you believe your rights to minimum wage and/or overtime pay have been violated, or if you want to better understand your rights, you should contact a St. Louis wage and hour lawyer.