Wal-Mart class action in Philly

Betsey Piette of Workers World reports on the certification of another class action suit against Wal-Mart:

No matter how they try to sell it, Wal-Mart’s image just sustained another well deserved blow on Jan. 16 when a Pennsylvania state court judge certified a class-action suit against the billion-dollar chain store for failing to give meal and rest breaks to its workers or to compensate them for time worked through those breaks.

Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Bernstein granted the class-action treatment of the wage-and-hour claims. The Pennsylvania suit could cover nearly 150,000 current and former employees.

The proof was in the retail giant’s computerized records that showed that breaks were skipped on a routine basis and there was no compensation when those breaks were missed. Instead of “slashing prices,” Wal-Mart was slashing workers’ wages—already almost a $1 an hour lower than the industry average.