Pay day lawsuit nets $15 million for workers at Albertson's, Lucky Stores and Sav-on Drug in a class action lawsuit claiming that the stores failed to pay the employees their final wages on their last day of work in violation of the California Labor Code. The court notice was mailed to employees on May 14, 2008 (Ward v Albertson's, Inc, CalSupCt, No BC 237646, notice May 14, 2008).

The 11 named plaintiffs will receive up to $10,000 and $3.5 million in attorneys' fees and costs to plaintiffs' counsel will be paid out of a separate fund.

The litigation was originally filed in September 2000 by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324 in Orange County, California, which represents grocery and pharmacy employees. The California Labor Code states that an employee who is discharged must be paid all of his or her wages, including accrued vacation, immediately at the time of termination or within 72 hours of the employee's resignation. An employer who willfully fails to pay any wages due to a terminated employee (discharge or quit) in the prescribed time frame may be assessed a waiting time penalty.