Wal-Mart has agreed to, and a judge approved, a plan to settle unpaid-wage lawsuits for up to $85 million. The lawsuits, 30 in all that were combined into one before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Pro in Las Vegas, alleged time clock manipulation and denial of rest periods to workers in several states.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs will share in one-third of the pot.
Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart has been on a losing streak with these unpaid-wage lawsuits. It has either lost or settled suits to the tune of $640 million globally in the past year.
“We’re going to see some real money distributed to people,” said workers’ attorney Carolyn Beasley Burton. “Hundreds of thousands of people will get a check in the next few months of $150 to $1,000. It’s a nice little stimulus package.”
Little is the operative word here, as Ms. Burton and her colleagues will get the biggest stimulus package of all–about $28 million worth.