A class action lawsuit has been filed against Facebook claiming they failed to pay certain workers overtime pay. Susie Bigger filed the claim last week and states she would work more than 40 hours a week at Facebook and not receive overtime pay for her efforts. The lawsuit claims Facebook bypassed overtime laws by classifying Susie Bigger and her coworkers as managers even though they had no managerial responsibilities or power.
According to Susie Bigger LinkedIn profile she was hired by Facebook back in June of 2013 and worked in the Chicago office. She was a major player in helping large Facebook advertisers plan their campaign but claims she never had a lick of managerial power.
This case is somewhat similar to the class action lawsuit in which Dollar General failed to properly pay store managers for overtime. Dollar General reached a $8.3 million settlement agreement in that case.
“[Client Solutions Managers’] primary duties do not involve the exercise of discretion or independent judgment with respect to matters of significance,” Susie Bigger’s lawsuit states. “Namely, all major strategic decisions for customers are made at the team level. [Client Solutions Managers] must follow pre-established pricing models for Facebook products and are not permitted to deviate from the preset parameters or which products to offer without prior approval. Likewise, [Client Solutions Managers] do not have the authority to negotiate with customers and bind Facebook on significant matters.”
The Facebook Deprived Workers of Overtime Pay Class Action Lawsuit was filed in the U.S. district court in Illinois. The lawsuit claims that Facebook was in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act as well as Illinois’ minimum wage laws. The lawsuit states there are about 200 similar Facebook employees who have grievances about working overtime but not receiving overtime pay.
Facebook intends to fight the lawsuit.