KPLU Local News
(2009-07-22)
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SEATTLE, WA
(KPLU) -
After eight years of legal wrangling, it's official. Wal-Mart has agreed to pay up to 35-(m) million dollars to settle a class action brought by workers in Washington State. As many as 88-thousand people who have been employed by the discount retailer here are covered by the suit.
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The class action says Wal-Mart routinely forced workers to skip meal and rest breaks and put in extra hours without pay. Managers would sometimes lock them in the store at the end of the day after they had clocked out, then demand they work another half hour or more before they could leave. Toby Marshall is one of the lawyers who worked on the case. He says the 35-million dollar settlement will cover attorneys' fees and provide monetary relief for the workers.
"And it also requires Wal-Mart to take steps to provide proper rest and meal breaks and pay for all hours worked going forward into the future."
For example, he says the chain's cash registers are now programmed so that if a clerk hasn't taken a break, they can't log in to ring up a sale. Wal-mart declined to speak on tape, but said in a statement that it is a different company now than it was years ago when the plaintiffs first brought suit.
Anyone who worked at a Wal-mart store in Washington between September 10th 1997 and February of this year is eligible for part of the settlement, if they submit paperwork by August 19th. For more information: Wal-Mart Class Action or call 1-877-867-6208 to learn about filing a claim
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