We had a super that messed up and made a $15,000 mistake on a job we were working, they immediately laid off a few people deemed un-necessary and cut the rest of our crew down to full time with no chance of over time, we all griped about being "screwed out of hours" to cover the supers mistake. While we weren't actually being ripped off and our hours worked/ time cards weren't being altered, we felt screwed..
Why? because we typically would work 5 days a week at 10-12 hours a day getting 10+ hours of over time a week which helped cover the costs of being away from home for month's on end and to make it worth missing our family's.
Construction companies bid job's with a pre-estimated number of man hours figured in to the bid including over time etc. and get's paid for those hours by the Prime contractor whether or not we actually work the amount of hours bid. But when they reduced our hours available, the crew got paid less per week, yet had to perform the same amount of work faster and with fewer people to finish the job on time. (which in the construction industry can be hazardous if not fatal.) All so the company could keep the overtime and would not have absorb the loss internally.
Any hourly worker who's hours are cut to offset some higher-up's brainfart/store shrinkage: Ie theft/ etc.. will typically use the term "screwed out of hours" to describe their predicament. It is becoming an increasingly common phrase..
But yes if they are altering time cards etc.. that is against the law and actionable.
Large retail corporations typically pass the losses on to the employees and customers legally thru reduced hours and service. I would almost doubt that a corporation of their size caught up right now in the midst of this scandal, would want to make such a legal blunder by forging/altering time cards, intentionally withholding employees pay or illegally reducing the hourly wage of the employees etc.. as a way to cover the losses...
So I surmised from past experience the intent of the phrase. "Screwed out of hours". to be a loss of hours available.. If the phrase used was "Screwed out of wages/pay" I would have been more inclined to think they were actually messing with payroll...
Tho again..I could be mistaken..