Judge Certifies Multi-State Collective Action on Behalf of AirGas Branch Managers
“Branch Managers” at retail stores operated by AirGas today received conditional certification of a collective action in order to recover unpaid overtime for working more than 40 hours in a workweek. The judge overseeing the case found there was sufficient evidence to demonstrate that they were similarly situated and could proceed with sending notice of the lawsuit to hundreds of other Branch Managers to permit them to join the case. The Branch Managers allege that AirGas violated federal law by misclassifying them as exempt from overtime compensation. The lawsuit asserts that Branch Managers were required to work more than 40 hours a week and spent the majority of their time performing manual, non-exempt work. AirGas operates more than 900 stores across at least 13 states, and is headquartered in Pennsylvania. Branch Managers who work, or worked, for AirGas and are covered by the Court’s decision are eligible to join the case and will soon receive notice of the lawsuit. Once the period for Branch Managers to join has closed, the parties will proceed with obtaining additional documents and information to whether Branch Managers are “similarly situated” for purposes of proceeding to trial on their collective claims.
If you worked as a Branch Manager for AirGas at any time during the last three years and were classified as exempt from overtime (and received a salary), you may be eligible to join the case. If you would like more information, please call Conway Legal at (215) 278-4782.