Contra Costa Times, "Longs slapped with overtime lawsuit"

          Three Alameda County store managers contend Longs Drug Stores Corp. improperly denied them overtime pay -- the latest in a spate of such lawsuits to hit California retailers. Darien Goddard, William Swift and Michael Anselmo allege Longs misclassified them as exempt from overtime pay when they spent more than half of their time performing basic duties, from stocking shelves to manning the cash register.
          The clients are seeking class-action status. If granted, as many as 1,000 current and former Longs assistant managers and managers who work an average of 60 to 70 hours a week could be eligible to collect unpaid wages.
          The stakes are much higher in California, the only state to require overtime pay after an eight-hour day, not just after a 40-hour week. Hundreds of suits have been filed in California as employers run afoul of California's tougher wage standards that afford employees greater protection than federal law, said another lawyer representing the Longs store managers. Under California law, managers are eligible for overtime pay at time and a half if they do not spend most of their work day supervising workers and other exempt duties.