Former Employees Sue Dollar General

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) â€” Two former assistant managers in Alabama stores have sued Dollar General Corp., claiming they were forced to work unpaid overtime. <br><br>In the lawsuit filed last week in U.S.

Tuesday, August 8th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) â€” Two former assistant managers in Alabama stores have sued Dollar General Corp., claiming they were forced to work unpaid overtime.

In the lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Nashville, Mary Clark, a former assistant manager at a Dollar General Store in Moulton, Ala., and Michelle Shannon, a former assistant manager at a store in Cullman, Ala., said they were required or permitted to work off the clock before and after regular shifts.

Dollar General, a Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based chain of neighborhood discount stores, has more than 50,000 employees in more than 4,500 stores in 25 states.

``We have no intention of ever having a policy to ask anybody to work off the clock,'' said Dollar General president Bob Carpenter. ``That's ridiculous.''

The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, asks for an unspecified amount for unpaid overtime and an equal amount for damages and legal expenses.

The two employees claim they worked during break times, that overtime hours were rolled over from one week to the next and that time records were changed or destroyed to delete overtime hours.

Shannon, who worked for Dollar General for about two years ending in October 1997, said Monday she was asked to come in before and after her shift to unload trucks, as well as to put out stock in the store.

The lawsuit contends company policies and practices include understaffing stores to keep payroll costs low, putting limitations on payroll costs for each store, compensating managers with bonuses based on lower payrolls and discouraging the recording of overtime payments to assistant managers.