Stevens, et al v. Safeway

Case Synopsis

For over a decade, assistant store managers at Safeway raised concerns about being misclassified as exempt employees—working long hours without overtime pay, all while performing non-managerial duties. Represented by Arias Sanguinetti, these workers alleged that Safeway used their titles to avoid paying legally required wages, in violation of California’s labor laws.

Many managers found themselves working seven days a week, up to 12 hours a day, with no compensation for missed breaks or overtime. They claimed they were filling in for understaffed stores, doing the same work as hourly employees, but without the protections.

After class certification was denied, Arias Sanguinetti pursued justice another way—by filing the cases individually. In a first-of-its-kind strategy, the firm lined up 42 back-to-back trials on behalf of current and former managers who’d been denied fair pay.

The firm’s efforts highlight how persistence—and a courtroom—can bring accountability where corporate shortcuts have gone unchecked.