Wal-Mart Settles Illegal Immigrant Janitors Case for $11 Million

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBVFNUKG6E.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to pay $11 million to settle federal allegations it used illegal immigrants to clean its stores, attorneys in the case said Friday.

The landmark settlement was expected to be announced by federal immigration officials at a news conference Friday morning.

Since 1998, federal authorities have uncovered the cases of at least 250 illegal immigrants who were employed by janitor contracting services and hired by the giant retailing chain in 21 states. Many of the janitors - from Mexico, Russia, Mongolia, Poland and a host of other nations - worked seven days or nights a week without overtime pay or injury compensation, said attorney James L. Linsey. Those who worked nights were often locked in the store until the morning, Linsey said.

"We're happy that Wal-Mart may finally be putting this shameful chapter to rest with the federal authorities and we expect them not to focus on the people who were shamefully exploited from around the world," said Linsey, who is representing the workers in a civil suit against the company that is still pending in New Jersey.

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[BrklynLiberal]

1. Too bad it wasn't more...........

[meegbear]

2. Great, but what did the workers they shit on get?

[NNN0LHI]

3. My guess would be deported n/t

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. Chump change.

Not to worry; tax break on the way to pay for it.

[StaggerLee]

5. No kidding

What's that compared to the amount of state public assistance that is furnished to their underpaid and underbenefited employees? Just a drop in the bucket.

[4_Legs_Good]

6. We need one of these settlements in every WalMart in the country

That might start to make a difference.

david

[Robert Oak]

7. how bout the meat packing industry?

They broke the unions w/ illegals, working conditions absolutely
horrendous, deaths, you name it...

not a single solitary fine, nada.

[THUNDER HANDS]

8. they still hire illegal immigrants

I know. I work with them.

Most places ask for a photo copy of your Drivers License or ID card to have on file.

Wal-Mart doesn't.

[okoboji]

18. actually....

Wal-Mart does take a copy of your driver license and S.S. card for your file. I know this first hand, I work for Wal-Mart.

[THUNDER HANDS]

19. no, they don't

at least, the store I work at didn't.

[okoboji]

21. then the store

you worked at, didn't and isn't following company policy. Call the eithics hotline. But don't try to say that ALL Wal-Marts across the country follows this practice.

[NNN0LHI]

9. CNN just said that ChinaMart rings up $11 million in sales ever 19 minutes

That will teach them.

Don

[THUNDER HANDS]

20. on a good day

my store alone does $1 million.

On a bad day, we do about $75,000.

[Moderator]

10. kick to combine

[paineinthearse]

11. Wal-Mart, Government Settle Immigration Investigation; No Criminal Charges

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-18-2005/0003210292&EDATE=

http://www.newscom.com/db/PRN/prnphotos/docs/041/228.thm

BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wal-Mart Stores
(NYSE: WMT) has resolved on a civil basis the Department of Justice's more than four-year-long investigation into the employment practices of its former floor-cleaning contractors. The agreement came after the government concluded its criminal investigation and announced it would not pursue charges against Wal-Mart or any Wal-Mart associates.

As part of this civil settlement, Wal-Mart has agreed to support the fair enforcement of immigration laws, including making a payment of $11 million to the government.

"The government can now use the funds for training and other initiatives that lead to better detection and prosecution of individuals and companies that prey on undocumented individuals," said Tom Mars, Wal-Mart's general counsel. He went on to emphasize that all businesses have a responsibility to remain vigilant.

"Today we are acknowledging that our compliance program did not include all the procedures necessary to identify independent floor cleaning contractors who did not comply with federal immigration laws," Mars said. "We will use this as an opportunity to improve and be a better, more tightly run business as a result."

Wal-Mart has already begun building stronger internal controls into its contractor review process. The company has also instituted a policy that requires floor cleaning at its domestic stores to be done by Wal-Mart associates.

The civil consent decree and settlement documents between Wal-Mart and the government read in part:

* " ... enforcement actions undertaken by Special Agents of the
Immigration and Naturalization Service, and its successor agency,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, against floor cleaning contractors performing cleaning services at various Wal-Mart stores in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere documented that independent contractors used by Wal-Mart to provide floor cleaning services were knowingly hiring, recruiting and employing in violation of Title 8 ... "

* " ... Wal-Mart did not have knowledge, at the time the independent contractors initially were hired, that the independent contractors knowingly hired, recruited or employed in violation of Title 8 ... "

* " ... following a thorough investigation, the United States concluded that federal criminal proceedings involving Wal-Mart, its directors, officers or would not be appropriate ... "

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM'S CLUB locations in the United States. Internationally, the company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company's securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartfacts.com . Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com .


SOURCE Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Photo Notes: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010831/WALMARTLOGO AP
Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org PRN Photo Desk,
[email protected]
Web Site: http://www.walmartstores.com http://www.walmart.com
http://www.walmartfacts.com

[paineinthearse]

12. NYT: Wal-Mart Settles Illegal Immigrant Case

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/18/business/18cnd-walmart.html?pagewanted=print&position=&oref=login

March 18, 2005
Wal-Mart Settles Illegal Immigrant Case
By TERENCE NEILAN

Wal-Mart Stores said today that it had agreed to pay $11 million to settle federal allegations that it had used illegal immigrants to clean its stores. Wal-Mart acknowledged that it should have had better safeguards in place to prevent its janitorial contractors from hiring the workers. The company said it faced no criminal charges in the case. The $11 million, a company spokeswoman said at a news conference in Washington today, would go to "help enforcement of immigration laws."

In October 2003, federal officials rounded up 250 illegal immigrants at 60 Wal-Mart stores in 21 states. Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania later informed the company that it was the target of a grand jury investigation into the use of illegal immigrants. Many of the immigrants, who were hired by janitorial contractors, worked seven days or nights a week without pay or injury compensation, said a New York lawyer, James L. Linsey. In many states they were locked into the stores all night, he said.

"We believe it's time for Wal-Mart to pay recompense to the people who they exploited for many years, and in many cases locked into their stores in many states," Mr. Linsey said today. "The poorest and most vulnerable people in the world were shamefully exploited by the richest and most powerful company on the planet."

Mr. Linsey is the lead attorney representing the workers in a civil class-action case that is pending in New Jersey. The governments of a number of countries, including the Czech Republic, Mexico, Poland and Slovakia, have filed briefs in support of the workers. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau has said the workers came from a total of 18 countries, including 90 from Mexico, 25 from the Czech Republic, 22 from Mongolia and 20 from Brazil. The company said it had used more than 100 third-party contractors to clean more than 700 stores across the country.

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[leftofcool]

13. Of course there won't be any criminal charges..........................

It's Wal-Mart, and Enron, and Tyco, and World Com and the list of crooks running this country goes on and on.

Left of Cool

[Berserker]

14. It was reported

on ABC news tonight that it will take walmart 22 minutes of sales to recover the $11,000,000.

[paineinthearse]

15. How quickly interest in the latest wal-mart slap on the wrist wanes.......

There must be LBN from jacko or martha that is distacting us tonight....

[Melynn]

16. This is disgusting

Wal-Mart engages in virtual slavery and gets no criminal charges. I thought that slavery was against the law. I know its kidnapping if you restrain someone against their will. And yet, Wal-Mart gets no criminal charges. Well, Wal-Mart won't get any of my money because of acts like this. I just want to :puke:

[paineinthearse]

17. In case you missed it, Wal-Mart got a similar slap on the wrist...

...for breaking child labor laws.

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=143&topic_id=1059