Thread regarding Staples Inc. layoffs

1. The people that originally filed the suit in 2007 got much more money than those that signed up at the end to prevent further lawsuits. They also got their money much earlier. Many of the original people had quit before the suit went to court.

2. Payment to the second class (to prevent further lawsuits took over two years to pay out due to petty BS between the lawyers, Staples, and the Judge. This was after Staples and the lawyers supposedly settled.

3. There was a cutoff date to file, so if you didn't then its to late.

@"JC from OMax" - you cannot avoid this, the game is rigged, it's not about you, it's not about the customer, it's about the execs and little bit about the people who invested the money. HOURLY IS COMING TO YOU, cannot avoid it so do your math here...

JC - You will go hourly. It's only a matter of time.

As someone who got a settlement from Staples from the Assistant Manager class action lawsuit, I can shed some light on what you will expect from the OMAX lawsuit. If you join the lawsuit, your name will be on the lawsuit. Anyone who is associated with the lawsuit will know your name, you will be suing OMAX. When it happened for Staples, there were two different settlements, those people who joined the lawsuit, and those who did not join the lawsuit, but still got some money in exchange for not suing Staples further. I was part of the second group. I did not join the lawsuit, but I did get some money from them in exchange for agreeing not to sue Staples further over this. When Staples settled their AM lawsuit, Staples HR got all those affected on a conference call and they urged us to take the settlement money. Staples is extremely scared of being sued and they will do anything to minimize a lawsuit. (When I say anything, I mean anything… but that’s a different post!). The whole reason that Staples settled was the way they defined the AM role. AMs were doing more hourly employee tasks (cashier, setting planograms, and putting away freight) than management tasks. They lost because Staples defined the AM role as more management and less hourly tasks. Staples is not the only company who has made this change. There are many employers who have their AMs hourly because they simply are doing 80% of their work as a regular employee and 20% of their time managing. This is why the store manager is still salary. The store manager is in charge of the whole store. However, if... the store manager was doing more hourly tasks, then they may have a case. I was discriminated by Staples, but not because of the lawsuit. Like I stated, Staples urged us to take the settlement money, to prevent further lawsuits. Those who joined the class action, I believe were not with Staples when they joined. If you do join, there is no guarantee that you will win. Staples restructured to save payroll, those AMs who were laid off had nothing to do with the AM lawsuit. Staples does still have AMs, but they are only in higher volume stores making more than $4 or $5 million a year. Any store making less than that has only a General Manager and hourly Team Supervisors, if the store hasn’t been closed. I know the money is enticing, but I would warn, even though discrimination is against the law, it is extremely difficult to prove. If you go to HR, they will ALWAYS side with the company. HR is NOT your friend. HR is there to protect the company. Could you be discriminated against if you join? Yes, you could. Your name will be listed on the lawsuit. If you like your job at OMAX and do not want to be discriminated, then I recommend not to join. Wait it out and see if OMAX agrees to a settlement that you can be a part of. If you are not with OMAX anymore, join!

do you have the phone number for the lawyer. i am a former employee and want da money

Anonymous8777, do you still work for the company? Or did you get cut? This is a tough situation for me. Same idea, it'll be almost half a year's salary. But I love my job and don't want to have it in jeopardy. Rumor on the other boards say we will switch from salaried to hourly in 2 months, to stop future lawsuits if we continue with Assistant Managers. Depot doesn't have Assistant Managers (3 associate managers instead), but Max still has 1 salaried assistant and 2 hourly supervisors. We have no idea which structure we will adopt, but it sounds like June will be the timeframe. If my position was eliminated, I could live off the lawsuit and severance for quite some time. OMax has nice packages. Thank you everyone here for your kindness and advice.

When I first got the letter I shredded it. I had the same thought you have and so did many other managers. It was about 6 months of time went by and their was a conference call for the GM's and after the call they told the AM's we would be getting a certified letter soon. Even though I did not initially sign the first letter. All who worked anytime during the stated dates would get paid out according time worked. It was about a year after all said and done after the second letter. For me it was substantial because I worked during the whole dates covered.

Don't worry about it they expect everyone to participate in the lawsuit. Get the money you deserve.

Tier 3 stores and up got to keep an assistant following the restructuring. In a declining industry the more you make the less they have, in signing that lawsuit undoubtedly you're ensuring you and o-max are at odds.