Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Bed Bath & Beyond Employees Due to Federal Wage Law Violations

In a class action lawsuit, two Bed Bath & Beyond employees claim that the store refused to pay them weekly as required by New York law for some manual labor positions.

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

Bed Bath & Beyond is the largest specialty retailer of housewares in the United States. 

Some of the items sold in the company’s over 300 stores include:

• bed linens
• bath accessories
• kitchen textiles
• cookware
• dinnerware
• kitchen utensils
• small electric appliances
• simple home furnishings

They are a forerunner in the concept of big superstores well-stocked with prices that are said to be equal to or cheaper than department store sale prices.

The Plaintiffs

In the case filed in a federal court in New York, Donald Hess and Elizabeth Padilla claimed that the store only paid employees once every two weeks for stocking shelves and doing other physical labor. 

Hess said he spent more than three years working at Bed Bath & Beyond in New York as a sales manager and a replenisher at the time. He also stated that he spent at least a fifth, if not all, of his time in these jobs doing manual labor.

Padilla, who also worked at Bed Bath & Beyond in New York, claimed to have served as a floor manager for the company for 14 years. She was responsible for manual tasks such as loading and unloading bins and U-boats and assembling and installing fixtures. In addition, carrying items and boxes, ironing and steaming visuals, breaking open and unpacking boxes, setting up shelves, and placing items were also part of her job.

The plaintiffs seek to represent other New York residents who served in similar positions with Bed Bath & Beyond but were not paid weekly.

The Class Action Lawsuit

According to the lawsuit, the New York wage and hour law mandates companies like Bed Bath & Beyond to pay workers who do manual labor at least once every seven days. If physical work accounts for 25% or more of an employee’s duties, they are classified as “manual” workers.

Despite working in manual jobs, both plaintiffs said their salary from Bed Bath & Beyond was only paid once every two weeks. They want to represent other New York Bed Bath & Beyond manual workers who don’t get paid monthly, such as Sales Associates, Store Managers, and Replenishers.

According to Hess and Padilla, manual personnel at New York’s Bed Bath & Beyond have sustained more than $15 million. The class action case aims to keep the store liable for the damages, as well as state law fines, attorney’s fees, and court costs.

Related Case for Bed Bath & Beyond

Former Bed Bath & Beyond workers sued the company over their exemption status. This involved two workers who were refused to work overtime due to their job responsibilities. Olivia and Oscar, two assistant store managers in an Illinois store, filed the suit on behalf of themselves and other associate store managers.

Editor’s Note on Bed Bath & Beyond’s Class Action Lawsuit:

This article is published to inform you of the latest class action lawsuit filed against Bed Bath & Beyond due to allegations that they refuse to pay employees weekly, as directed by N.Y. law.

Case Name & No.: Hess, et al. v. Bed Bath & Beyond, Case No. 21-cv-4099 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Products/Services: Bed Bath & Beyond Employees’ Wages

Allegations: Bed Bath & Beyond refused to pay “manual” workers weekly, as directed by N.Y. law

Status: Pending

Do you work at Bed Bath & Beyond in New York? Do you get paid weekly? By clicking the ‘Contact Us’ button below, you can tell us about your experience.

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(PC – Anthony92931)