Washington employment law alert-Wal-Mart pays Washington workers $35 million

2009-07-23 01:04:23 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Employment Law, Justice News Flash)

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Legal news for Washington employment law attorneys.

Washington state Wal-Mart employees settle $35 million fair wage violations suit.

Seattle, WA–A King County Superior Court judge gave final approval on a settlement agreement with former and current Wal-Mart employees in the state of Washington against the Bentoville, Arkansas based retail giant, as reported by the Seattle-Times. Workers’ rights lawyers for 88,000 employees who entered the class action lawsuit after their employer, Wal-Mart, allegedly violated the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) http://www.dol.gov, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which sets basic minimum wage and overtime pay standards. The Wage and Hour Division of the DOL’s Employment Standard Administration is responsible for investigating and policing wage and hour violations.

The class of employees accused the nation’s largest private employer, Wal-Mart, of forcing the workers in Washington state stores to skip meal breaks, rest breaks, and work off the clock. Similar lawsuits were filed by thousands of other Wal-Mart workers across the country in various other states. California and Pennsylvania class action labor violations lawsuits against Wal-Mart are the only two who reportedly have not settled their claims.

The DOL specifically outlines the rules and regulations governing worker’s rights in the work place regarding hours, wages, meal and break periods on their website. http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/breaks.htm. The federal agency also provides valuable information and links to other areas and agencies pertaining to rights in the work place on their homepage http://www.dol.gov. The area of employment law is a complex legal issue and navigating the federal and state rules and regulations can be difficult and confusing. If you are an employee or worker who feel your rights are being violated you may want to contact a Washington employment law attorney. A civil trial attorney specializing in worker rights claims and employer discrimination cases may help answer your questions easily and timely plus help you recover.

Legal news articles crafted by Justice Staff Correspondent Heather L. Ryan for Washington employment law attorneys.