Class of Undocumented Workers Sues Wal-Mart
Labor & Employment
In a federal class action, 42 named plaintiffs say Wal-Mart hired them knowing they were undocumented, stiffed them for overtime and for regular wages, paid them in cash or by personal checks from labor contractors, put them to forced labor through coercion, "violated immigration, money laundering and protective wage and hour laws," and routinely locked them inside stores while they worked night shifts.
Wal-Mart and some of its contractors settled federal complaints and paid millions in fines. The named plaintiffs, suing for the class, seek the wages of which they were cheated, and other damages.
Most of the named plaintiffs have names that indicate Eastern European descent, particularly Polish and Czech. Many say they worked more than 40 hours a week, seven days a week, and never were paid overtime.
Lead plaintiff Victor Manuel Zavala, one of two named plaintiffs with Latino surnames, claims that "beginning in no later than March 1997, senior Wal-Mart management, realizing that Wal-Mart could substantially reduce costs and substantially increase profits were it to rely on the labor of undocumented migrants to clean its thousands of stores, created a criminal enterprise that involved conspiracies to violate, as well as substantive violations, of federal immigration laws and other laws."
Related listings
-
California minimum wage fight heads back to court
Labor & Employment 07/09/2010Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has filed a new lawsuit to force the state controller to pay California government workers the federal minimum wage.The Department of Personnel Administration filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Controller Jo...
-
Appeals court rules for US Airways pilot union
Labor & Employment 06/07/2010A federal appeals court has ruled against pilots from the old America West airlines in their dispute with their union at US Airways.The two airlines combined in 2005, but their pilots are still fighting over seniority rights. Six pilots from the old ...
-
Overtime claims and compliance
Labor & Employment 06/01/2010Wage and hour matters usually manifest when disgruntled employees feel they have not been compensated properly for their work. Often, wage and hour matters are brought forth by employees who have been terminated, anticipate being terminated, or have ...
Is Now the Time to Really Call a Special Education Lawyer?
IDEA, FAPE, CHILD FIND and IEPs: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). FAPE starts with a school’s responsibility to identify that a child has a disability (Child Find) and create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to suit the needs of the child.
Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.