Wal-Mart Ordered to Pay Forty Million Dollars for Denying Breaks and Manipulating Timecards
The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has settled a class-action lawsuit for forty million dollars. The suit was brought by former and current employees of the company from the state of Massachusetts, and included about 87,500 claimants. They claimed that Wal-Mart deprived them of breaks, failed to pay earned overtime and changed employee timecards to lower their pay. The settlement is the largest of its kind in state history. Anyone working at Wal-Mart between 1995 and the date of the settlement will receive a check from the settlement. The average claimant is expected to receive $734.
The lawsuit is very similar to many other cases that have been brought against Wal-Mart across the country. Wal-Mart has denied the charges in all cases, but has agreed to pay up to $640 million to settle 63 federal and state class action lawsuits regarding wages and hours worked by employees. The Massachusetts case was not part of that larger settlement.
Lawyers for the workers are pleased with the settlement, but felt it could have been bigger. They hope that this case will serve as a warning to other employers to take worker pay seriously. For employers who follow the law, they will now benefit from an even playing field. Read more about the settlement at Wal-Mart will pay $40m to workers.
If you have a question about legal employment practices in the state of Florida, please contact Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A. for legal counsel.
