Plaintiff alleges major optical retailer violated Fair Labor Standards Act

In a bold legal move, an Illinois resident has taken action against one of the largest optical retail companies in the United States, accusing them of failing to pay proper overtime wages. On February 16, 2026, Rayel Tasker filed a collective action complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against National Vision, Inc., alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Rayel Tasker, who worked as a non-exempt hourly employee for National Vision from October 2022 through January 2026, claims that the company did not properly calculate her overtime pay. The lawsuit asserts that National Vision failed to include shift differential pay and commission pay in the regular rate of pay when calculating overtime compensation. According to Tasker, this oversight resulted in her and other similarly situated employees being underpaid for their overtime work. “The failure to include this remuneration in overtime computations violates Section 7(a) of the FLSA,” states the complaint.

Tasker’s allegations are based on her personal experience and information gathered about National Vision’s practices across various locations. The complaint highlights that National Vision operates a centralized payroll system that calculates regular rates similarly for all hourly employees, regardless of location or job title. This uniform approach allegedly led to widespread violations affecting numerous employees nationwide.

Tasker is seeking a range of remedies from the court, including unpaid wages, liquidated damages equal to back pay, reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, interest, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court. Additionally, she requests that the court designate this case as a collective action under FLSA provisions and order National Vision to provide contact information for all current and former hourly employees who may have been affected by these alleged violations.

Representing Tasker is attorney Ethan C. Goemann from Sommers Schwartz P.C., who is advocating on behalf of Tasker and other potential plaintiffs in this collective action suit. The case has been assigned Case ID 1:26-cv-00895-SCJ and will be presided over by judges yet to be named.