A collective and class action lawsuit has been filed against two major food production companies, alleging violations of federal and state labor laws. Alan Bowman initiated the complaint on January 7, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against TreeHouse Foods, Inc., and Sturm Foods, Inc. The lawsuit accuses these companies of failing to properly compensate their hourly-paid employees for overtime work and other wages due under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Wisconsin’s Wage Payment and Collection Laws (WWPCL).
The case centers around allegations that TreeHouse Foods and Sturm Foods engaged in unlawful compensation practices that deprived employees of their rightful earnings. According to the complaint, these companies systematically "shaved" time from employees' timesheets through electronic timeclock rounding practices, resulting in unpaid pre-shift and post-shift work hours. Additionally, it is alleged that non-discretionary bonuses and incentives were not included in calculating employees' regular rates of pay for overtime purposes. Bowman claims these actions were intentional and willful violations of both federal and state labor laws.
Bowman worked as an Operator at the defendants’ Green Bay, Wisconsin facility from October 2023 until December 2024. He asserts that he was compensated on an hourly basis but was denied proper payment for all hours worked beyond forty per week. The lawsuit seeks to represent all similarly situated current and former hourly-paid employees who experienced similar wage discrepancies over the past three years.
The plaintiffs are seeking various forms of relief from the court. They demand reimbursement for unpaid wages including overtime compensation, liquidated damages equal to or exceeding unpaid wages under both FLSA and WWPCL provisions, as well as attorneys’ fees and litigation costs. Additionally, they request declaratory relief recognizing the defendants' actions as unlawful under applicable labor laws.
Representing Alan Bowman in this legal battle are attorneys James A. Walcheske, Scott S. Luzi, and David M. Potteiger from Walcheske & Luzi LLC based in Chicago, Illinois. The case has been assigned Case No. 25-cv-158 in front of a jury trial demand.