Joseph Phebus
Lead plaintiff Joan Jones has moved for class certification in a proposed action brought against Kraft Food Global Inc. on behalf of workers at its Granite City plant over allegedly unpaid wages.
Jones filed her motion for class certification July 11.
The suit, filed earlier this year, centers on claims that Kraft violated the Illinois Minimum Wage Act and other wage laws by failing to compensate the estimated 500 potential class members for all of the hours they worked.
Kraft denies the suit's claims.
No hearing date on the motion has been set, according to the case's docket sheet.
According to the motion for class certification, the class would include all hourly employees at the Granite City plant not paid for all the hours they worked.
Personal injury claims would be excluded from the class as well as those who choose to opt out.
The time period for which the class certification and damages recovered are sought would begin three years prior to the filing of Jones' suit and would include the time in between.
The same class definition and parameters would apply for both counts of the suit.
Madison County Chief Judge Ann Callis presides.
Joseph Phebus of Urbana, Douglas Phebus in Middleton, Wisc., Ryan Bradley, William Graham, and Victor Arellano represent the plaintiffs.
It is unclear what relationship, if any exists between the two Phebuses.
Jonathan Garlough and Daniel Kaplan represent Kraft.
The case is Madison case number 11-L-082.