Brown, LLC and Pardell, Kruzyk & Giribaldo, PLLC has filed a lawsuit against W.W. Grainger, Inc. (“Defendant”), alleging wage-and-hour violations under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), the Illinois Minimum Wage Law (“IMWL”), and the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (“IWPCA”). Filing a lawsuit does not mean Defendant has been found liable. The allegations remain unproven while the case proceeds through the legal system.

About the Defendant

The lawsuit alleges that Defendant is an Illinois corporation and a broad-line distributor of maintenance, repair, and operating products. Defendant allegedly employs Customer Experience Representatives and similar call-center employees to handle customer inquiries and orders, and maintains its principal place of business at 100 Grainger Parkway, Lake Forest, Illinois 60045.

Claims in the Lawsuit

Federal Claims

The lawsuit alleges that Defendant failed to pay hourly-paid, non-exempt Customer Experience Representatives and employees in similar positions (“CERs”) all overtime compensation owed for hours worked over forty in a workweek.

The complaint alleges that CERs performed compensable work before their scheduled shifts, before the scheduled end of unpaid meal periods, and after their shifts. The alleged unpaid work includes:

Starting computers, completing security authentication, accessing required systems, and loading customer-service applications;
Reviewing required work emails and instructions, checking assigned customer-contact queues, and accessing customer, account, product, order, inventory, or delivery information; and
Operating telephone or queue, customer-account, order-processing, workflow, email, messaging, and other customer-service applications, performing related customer-service activities, and performing post-shift work.

The lawsuit alleges that CERs may have been required to be logged into the telephone or queue system, actively available to receive customer contacts, and have required applications open and operational by the scheduled start of their shifts and immediately when unpaid meal periods ended. It further alleges that Defendant instructed CERs not to record this work, imposed attendance, adherence, performance, or disciplinary consequences for failing to be ready on time, and possessed electronic data showing when CERs accessed and used the required systems.

The complaint identifies representative workweeks in which Defendant’s records allegedly show the two named Plaintiffs performed 40.17 recorded hours and 40.30 recorded hours, in addition to uncompensated work.

Illinois Wage Claims

For Illinois employees, the lawsuit alleges that Defendant violated the IMWL by failing to pay overtime compensation for uncompensated pre-shift, meal-period, customer-service, system-access, and post-shift work performed in workweeks exceeding forty hours.

The complaint also alleges that Defendant violated the IWPCA by failing to pay straight-time wages for all hours worked. It alleges that Defendant sent hourly employees offer letters promising a set rate for each hour worked and that the parties also had an implied agreement, reflected in hourly pay, pay stubs, and use of Defendant’s timekeeping system, that employees would be paid for all hours worked.

The lawsuit seeks unpaid overtime and an equal amount as liquidated damages under the FLSA; treble underpayments, monthly statutory damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs under the IMWL; and unpaid wages, monthly statutory damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs under the IWPCA.

Workers Covered

Position(s): Hourly-paid, non-exempt call-center agents, including Customer Experience Representatives, Customer Service Representatives, Senior Customer Experience Representatives, Customer Experience Specialists, Senior Customer Experience Specialists, and employees in similar positions regardless of exact title. The complaint excludes executive, administrative, professional, computer-professional, and outside-sales employees from the proposed FLSA collective.

Locations Covered

Federal law claims: Current and former CERs who worked for W.W. Grainger, Inc. locations anywhere in the United States.

Illinois wage claims: Current and former CERs who worked for W.W. Grainger, Inc. in Illinois.

Time Period Covered

Federal law claims: April 7, 2022, through the date of judgment.

Illinois Minimum Wage Law claims: April 7, 2022, through the date of judgment.

Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act claims: April 7, 2015, through the date of judgment.

Former employees may still be eligible if they worked during these periods. The complaint also alleges that the parties entered into an agreement tolling the limitations periods from March 6, 2025 through June 19, 2026 for specified hourly-paid, non-exempt Contact Service Centers employees who worked remotely or from a brick-and-mortar call center in the United States and held covered positions at any time from March 6, 2022 through June 19, 2026.

Case Status

July 22, 2026: The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

How to Participate

Employees who worked for W.W. Grainger, Inc. in a covered position and believe they performed unpaid pre-shift, pre-return-from-meal, post-shift, computer-startup, system-access, or related customer-service work may contact Brown, LLC so that its wage-and-hour lawyers can assess their potential eligibility. Participation in the FLSA collective requires a worker to opt in by filing a written consent with the Court.

First Name:(Required)

Last Name:(Required)

Email:(Required)

Phone Number:(Required)

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Brief Summary of Your Case

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Please select a case:(Required)

Do you believe that in the time period covered by the lawsuit, you worked in a covered job position and location and suffered from the specific violation(s) alleged therein?(Required)

Yes

Not Sure

Are you still working for the Defendant?

Yes

Employment has not yet begun

When did you start working for the Defendant?

When did you last work for the Defendant?

Provide the job position(s) you work(ed) for the Defendant:

What city(s) and state(s) were you located in when working for the Defendant?

This field is hidden when viewing the form

Please summarize any important facts or evidence you have regarding the claims in the lawsuit

Please summarize any important facts or evidence you have regarding the claims in the lawsuit(Required)

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types of Unpaid Work Does the Lawsuit Cover?

The lawsuit focuses on allegedly unpaid work performed before scheduled shifts, before unpaid meal periods ended, and after shifts. The alleged work includes starting computers, completing authentication and system-access steps, loading and operating required customer-service applications, reviewing work instructions and emails, checking customer-contact queues and customer information, becoming available to receive customer contacts, and performing related customer-service work.

What Is the Overtime Claim?

The complaint alleges that CERs regularly worked more than forty hours in a workweek and that the uncompensated time described above should have been paid at one and one-half times their regular rates of pay. It also alleges that Defendant failed to record all compensable time.

Do I Have to Be Currently Employed to Participate?

No. The lawsuit includes both current and former employees who worked in covered positions during the applicable periods.

Can Defendant Retaliate Against Me for Participating?

Federal and state wage laws generally prohibit employers from retaliating against employees for asserting wage rights or participating in a wage-and-hour lawsuit.

Has the Court Decided That W.W. Grainger, Inc. Violated the Law?

No. The complaint contains allegations only. No finding of liability has been made against W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Conclusion

Employees who have information relating to the allegations described in the complaint or believe they may have been affected may contact Brown, LLC:

Brown, LLC – Wage and Hour Lawyers
Phone: (877) 561-0000
Email: flsagroup@jtblawgroup.com

Active Cases

W.W. Grainger, Inc. (Hourly-Paid Customer Experience Representatives and Similar Call-Center Employees)

Table of Contents

Categories