Wal-Mart Found Guilty of 2 Million “Off-the-Clock” Violations

Minneapolis The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Minnesota judge Robert King Jr., ruled against Wal-Mart and ordered the retailer to pay $6.5 million in compensation for labor violations.

The class-action suit was filed because workers claimed that their breaks were cut short and they had to work “off-the-clock,” essentially unpaid hours. The judge’s ruling stated that Wal-Mart had indeed forced employees to work off-the-clock and cited the retailer had violated state labor laws 2 million times.

The suit reportedly represented 56,000 employees of Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores located in Minnesota and addressed alleged violations between September 1998 and January 2004.

Daphne Moore, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman quoted in the AP report, indicated that Wal-Mart is considering an appeal.