A Pennsylvania jury has slapped Wal-Mart with a $78.5 million verdict for failing to pay overtime and requiring employees to work through rest breaks. The class action suit covers 187,000 current and former employees who worked for Wal-Mart between 1997 and 2006.
The HR Management & Compliance Report: How To Comply with California Wage & Hour Law, explains everything you need to know to stay in compliance with the state’s complex and ever-changing rules, laws, and regulations in this area. Coverage on bonuses, meal and rest breaks, overtime, alternative workweeks, final paychecks, and more.
One of the employees who filed the lawsuit, Dolores Hummel, said she regularly was required to work during rest breaks and after store hours to meet work demands. Hummel estimated that she worked between 8 and 12 unpaid hours each month during her 10 years of Wal-Mart employment.
Wal-Mart, which plans to appeal, said that it is company policy to pay employees for all hours worked and that it is committed to taking disciplinary action against managers who encourage or tolerate off-the-clock work.
Additional Resources:
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement
California Wage & Hour Advisor
Meal and Rest Periods in California: Which Breaks You Must Provide—and When—and What to Do When Workers Won’t Cooperate