Employees at two large Target distribution centers have filed a lawsuit, claiming they weren’t paid for time spent walking to their workstations.

The hourly staffers, who pack and ship products from warehouses larger than 31 football fields, say some walks took as long as 30 minutes.

They say they are owed thousands in back pay. 

Target, which has faced months of slowing sales and a recent CEO shakeup, was already grappling with staff frustrated at bad management.

If the lawsuit becomes a class-action, it could become the latest sign of strain between Target’s entry-level employees and company management. 

Hugh Baran of Katz Banks Kumin, the lead attorney in the complaint, informed the Daily Mail, “We’ve received numerous reports from workers about New York Labor Law breaches at Target’s warehouses located in upstate New York.”

‘Our clients filed this lawsuit for a simple reason: hourly workers in New York should be paid for all their hours worked.’  

The legal action was initiated by one current and one former Target employee. Both individuals were employed at a warehouse situated in Wilton, New York, approximately 30 minutes from Albany.

Distribution center employees have filed a lawsuit against Target saying the sites require a long walk before they can clock in for work

Based on Target’s job listings, workers at this facility earn between $20 and $27 per hour, contingent on their role. The lawsuit suggests that employees might be entitled to receive between $1,000 and $2,000 each year.

The average hourly worker earns between $39,000 and $57,000 per year, the suit stated. 

‘Hourly employees of the warehouses are required to walk long distances — up to approximately half a mile — to and from their assigned departments,’ the lawsuit claims. ‘These warehouses are enormous industrial sites.’ 

Unlike previous worker-compensation lawsuits, this one only affects New York staffers. It focuses on the state’s labor laws, while previous lawsuits against companies like Amazon and Walmart focused on federal worker rights. 

Target didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

Target’s tumble 

It’s been a rough year for the bullseye brand. 

Target, once one of America’s favorite retailers, has built an image as a premium retail shopping experience.

Target shoppers have seen increasingly messy stores, experts told Daily Mail – and that is showing up in the retailer’s national sales data

Cornell said he would step down from his position at the start of 2026 – he will stay on board as the executive chairman

Target employees said their clock-in stations are deep inside the building, which can take up to 30-minutes to reach from the front door

But American shoppers, still grappling with high inflation, have turned to retailers that emphasize low prices. 

Recently, competitors like Walmart and Dollar General reported strong sales during their last earnings quarter, while Target reported serving fewer guests. 

To make matters worse, Target was caught in two major culture-war clashes: first, conservatives fumed over its Pride collections, then liberals criticized the company’s retreat on DEI hiring initiatives. 

After months of declining sales, the company’s top boss, CEO Brian Cornell, announced he would step down from his position after 11 years. His final day will be January 31, 2026. 

But analysts hoping for fresh blood in the corporate suites were disappointed by his replacement. 

Target decided to promote from within its ranks, naming Michael Fiddelke, the current chief operating officer, as its next boss.

The company’s stock fell 10 percent following the announcement of the new CEO.