A judge in Washington has ruled that a class-action lawsuit which alleges Wal-Mart
forced employees to work unpaid overtime may proceed, the Associated Press reports.
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customized information for your industry, location, and job.
Get Your Report Now!The lawsuit, which could include as many as 40,000 current and former Wal-Mart
employees who worked in Washington, alleges that understaffing and a strict
no-overtime policy led to employees working off-the-clock to finish work they
were unable to complete in 40 hours.
The lawsuit also accuses the company of altering time records,
the news service notes. Workers claim they were forced to miss meal and rest
periods as well.
The company released a statement saying Wal-Mart's policy prohibits the type of actions
the lawsuit alleges, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
"These types of allegations are counter to everything the company stands
for," the statement said. "Wal-Mart's policy is to pay associates
for every minute they work. Any manager who requires or even tolerates 'off-the-clock'
work would be violating company policy and subject to disciplinary action, up
to and including termination."
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