California Orders Wal-Mart Warehouse to Pay $1.1 Million in Stolen Wages

[Fire Walk With Me]

http://october2011.org/blogs/kevin-zeese/california-orders-wal-mart-warehouse-pay-11-million-stolen-wages

The state of California has ordered a Southern California merchandise-processing warehouse to pay 865 workers more than $1 million in stolen wages.

Workers at Quetico, LLC, a warehouse complex in Chino, Calif., are responsible for labeling, tagging and packing apparel and shoes for major retailers including Wal-Mart, Levi's, Maidenform and Puma. On Monday, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement cited the complex for more than $1.1 million in back wages and unpaid overtime, plus an additional $200,000 in penalties.

Workers last year informed the Warehouse Worker Resource Center that they were being denied pay for time worked, made to work through lunch and threatened with termination if they complained. The Quetico warehouse has been cited in the last year by multiple state agencies for violations, including unsafe working conditions and retaliation against workers who requested to be paid for missing wages.

The wage theft ruling is a significant victory for Warehouse Workers United, which has led a movement to hold Wal-Mart responsible for warehouse working conditions under the company's subcontractors. Dozens, if not hundreds of workers from other Wal-Mart warehouse locations—including more facilities in California, stores in Seattle and Dallas, and another outside of Chicago—went on strike late last year to protest poor working conditions and retaliation against workers who complained about safety hazards.

(More at the link.)

[Lady Freedom Returns]

1. Good for the state of California! n/t

[PDJane]

2. A definite step in the right direction.

[progressoid]

3. drop in the ocean for these thieves.

[xxqqqzme]

4. Agree

$200,000 in 'penalties' hardly seems to be that.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. Betcha since it was in Chino they figured they could get away with it....

Next thing you know they'll move to Boyle Heights.

[slackmaster]

6. That's more money than I have

[cstanleytech]

7. Sorry but this is a BS feel good ruling.

Why do I say that? Because this will really do nothing to stop the practice because its profitable for companies to do this kind of stuff and it will continue until they are shown that its not profitable which will only happen if the fines for this type of stuff are stiffened enough to where there is no profit in doing it.

[Apophis]

8. I worked for Walmart for four years and I was denied overtime many times.

They would makes stay sometimes 2 to 3 hours past our scheduled shift then cut those overtime hours by taking extended lunch breaks. I was forced to quit after I demanded that they should have paid me what I was owed.

[ReRe]

9. The ruling should have been higher...

K&R

... That amount is a spit-in-the-wind over the shoulder of Wal-Mart. Should have been at least ten times as much. Just saying...

[Populist_Prole]

10. Cons are surely livid over hearing this

They put Walmart on such a pedestal. I'm not quite sure if it's because they really like the place or because the right wing noise machine say they should. I know a few cons who are so partisan and so petty that they enjoy holding the mirror reverse opposite of anything that seems even remotely pro-labor.