Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether Academy Sports + Outdoors improperly classifies certain assistant management employees as exempt from overtime requirements under the FLSA and state wage laws.
Workers report that assistant managers frequently spend much of their workweeks performing manual retail labor, including cashier coverage, stocking freight, unloading pallets, assisting customers, and covering understaffed departments. Employees also report limited discretion because many operational decisions, merchandising plans, and staffing structures are determined centrally by corporate management.
The FLSA executive exemption generally applies only where management is the employee’s primary duty and the employee exercises meaningful authority over personnel and operational decisions. Academy Sports + Outdoors employees who primarily perform the same work as hourly staff may still be entitled to overtime compensation.
Potentially Affected Positions
Potentially impacted positions may include:
- Assistant Store Manager
- Operations Manager
- Assistant Operations Manager
- Merchandise Manager
- Manager-in-Training
- MIT roles
- Department Supervisors classified as exempt
Alleged Common Practices
Academy Sports + Outdoors workers have reported:
- regularly working more than 50 hours per week;
- performing extensive manual labor and floor coverage;
- chronic understaffing;
- limited break opportunities;
- little meaningful control over operational policy;
- substantial time spent performing non-managerial work.
Arbitration Investigation
The firm is also investigating whether Academy Sports + Outdoors requires assistant managers to sign mandatory arbitration agreements or class-action waivers.
Contact
If you worked for Academy Sports + Outdoors in an exempt assistant-management role and routinely worked overtime hours without overtime pay, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.