From USA Today:
Wal-Mart workers in Pennsylvania who previously won a $78.5 million class-action award for working off the clock will share an additional $62.3 million in damages, a judge ruled Wednesday.
About 125,000 people will receive $500 each in liquidated damages under a state law invoked when a company, without cause, withholds pay for more than 30 days.
"By this statute the legislature created significant financial incentives for employers to pay workers all the money they've earned by their hard work," Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Mark Bernstein wrote.
"The law in its majesty applies equally to highly paid executives and minimum wage clerks," he wrote.
A Philadelphia jury last year awarded the workers the exact amount they had sought, rejecting Wal-Mart's claim that some people chose to work through breaks or that a few minutes of extra work here and there was insignificant.
Similar suits charging that Wal-Mart violated state wage laws are in play across the country.
A California trial ended with a $172 million verdict that Wal-Mart is appealing while the Bentonville, Ark.-based company settled a Colorado suit for $50 million.
A trial opened last week in Minnesota while suits are pending in New Jersey and several other states.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment