CINCINNATI (Cincinnati Enquirer) – Battling soaring costs and penny-pinching customers, Kroger has a management problem: It keeps getting sued by its own managers who accuse the nation’s No. 2 grocer of cheating them on pay to save on expenses.
Earlier this year, the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant settled a massive lawsuit with 2,500 current and former assistant store managers that claimed the retailer gave them dubious promotions to avoid paying them thousands of hours of overtime pay. Kroger is also working to finalize settlements in two other lawsuits and other similar litigation is pending.
An Enquirer investigation reveals Kroger has been sued more than 20 times since 2020, repeatedly accused of exploiting its most dedicated, hardworking employees to keep costs low and maximize profits, including in its home state of Ohio. For this story, The Enquirer tracked ongoing litigation, reviewed hundreds of pages of legal documents, spoke with workers involved in the lawsuits and examined similar allegations against rival retailers.
Ohio man among six plaintiffs suing Kroger
Thomas Schell, 30, a former assistant store manager from Dayton, Ohio, felt Kroger manipulated his work ethic and his desire to move up and be a leader in the company. He was promoted after three years of loyal service and thought he was paying his dues for a brighter future. Instead, he said he was tricked into providing free labor…