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Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker Violations

Wal-Mart gets off cheap, if you ask me, in the federal investigation of its abuse of immigrant workers. It has agreed to pay $11 million to settle the allegations. No criminal charges will be filed. Its total sales for last year were $288.2 billion.

In two separate investigations, authorities uncovered the cases of an estimated 345 illegal immigrants contracted as janitors at Wal-Mart stores. Many of the workers worked seven days or nights a week without overtime pay or injury compensation, attorneys said. Those who worked nights were often locked in the store until the morning.

Wal-Mart's troubles began in 2001.

In 2001, authorities arrested an estimated 100 illegal immigrants at Wal-Mart stores in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Missouri. Last year, on Oct. 23, federal agents raided 60 Wal-Mart stores in 21 states, netting 245 immigrants who were placed in deportation proceedings. ICE said the workers came from 18 different nations, including 90 from Mexico, 35 from the Czech Republic, 22 from Mongolia and 20 from Brazil.

Officials said at the time of the raids the investigation involved wiretaps that revealed Wal-Mart executives were aware that the subcontractors used illegal workers. Once the raid began, Wal-Mart told its executives to preserve documents. Federal agents didn't wait and moved in on part of the company's Bentonville headquarters, taking boxes from the office of a midlevel executive.

So Wal-Mart execs knew the subcontractors used undocumented workers. What happened to the subcontractors? According to the Times,

12 janitorial contractors that worked for Wal-Mart had agreed to forfeit $4 million to the government and to plead guilty to criminal charges of employing illegal immigrants.

And what of the workers - they got deported. You can read about some of the workers here.

Some of the workers sued Wal-Mart. The company's response?

Essentially, the company says the lawyers representing the plaintiffs are hungry vultures preying on unfortunate immigrants.

Pot, meet kettle.

The Times has more on the workers' lawsuits:

Wal-Mart continues to face a federal class-action lawsuit in New Jersey asserting that it and its contractors had conspired to violate racketeering laws. The lawsuit says that more than 10,000 illegal immigrant janitors were used at Wal-Mart stores and that they were virtually never paid time-and-a-half for overtime.

"It's outrageous that this could occur in the early 21st century," said James L. Linsey, the janitors' main lawyer in the case. "They generally worked seven nights a week, 364 days a year, and they were often locked in the stores. Now that the federal criminal investigation has been laid to rest, it's time for Wal-Mart to focus on the individuals who were systematically exploited and to consider what amount of reparations is appropriate."

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    To repeat myself. The Repubs want the cheap labor. The Demos want the votes. The US citizen is humped by both sides.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#2)
    by Linkmeister on Fri Mar 18, 2005 at 10:03:28 PM EST
    ABC News did a back of the envelope calculation based on annual revenues and determined that it would take Wal-Mart 22 minutes to come up with $11M.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#3)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 12:47:05 AM EST
    Any person who decries the invasion of "illegal immigrants" and shops at Mall Wart is a hypocrite. Mall Wart encourages illegal immigration, which increases the risk of terrorism by commiting INS resources to stopping the immigrants who hear that Mall Wart is hiring, instead of maintaining homeland security. Stop shopping at Mall Wart.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#4)
    by s5 on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 02:53:11 AM EST
    Let's do the math. If WalMart made $288 billion in sales last year, a fine of $11 million is the equivalent of someone who makes $60,000 / year receiving a $3 parking ticket.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#5)
    by demohypocrates on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 06:54:31 AM EST
    So Che, I guess you are for more stringent border patrols, and swifter deportation of illegals. What a laffer. Libs are against requiring new employees to prove citizenship, but when it is discovered that illegals are working for a particular business, the business should be prosecuted.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#6)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 07:14:50 AM EST
    These folks didn’t fight their way through a deadly boarder crossing to be taken advantage of; they did it for the opportunity to work. Abuse? Ridiculous, and condescending; lets see how their families take this gesture of American goodwill now that they don’t have an income. We know best, we’ll fight for your right to a good wage while your family goes hungry and the jobs evaporate on increased cost. Or just ship them back to Mexico, they’ll work and live in detestable conditions, where a full days earnings is equivalent what they made at WalMart in 30 minutes.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#7)
    by wishful on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 08:04:35 AM EST
    oops--totally wrong thread.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#8)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 08:19:31 AM EST
    For the intellectually challenged, My point was the hypocrisy of your view (and corporate amerika) that you think it's OK for Mall Wart to hire ILLEGALLY, yet you can complain (incessantly) about illegal immigration. I offered no direct solutions, even though twits like Ace put words in other people's mouths (which is such a relief when you just can't think for yourself). I was under the impression that all those folks making mega bucks in DC were supposed to address this problem. The government is supposed to protect the borders. Mall Wart was interfering with their task by offering low paying jobs to undocumented workers, and in the process also denying jobs to US citzens. I make no judgement, I just write what I see. Mall Wart was violating the law AND denying jobs to US citezens, and all to save a few bucks. Pigwiggle, Abuse? Maybe not if you like being LOCKED into your work place and NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE like those folks. You would make a fantastic sweat shop owner! We have labor laws that protect US workers from that kind of abuse. If you want to flaunt those laws then YOU work every weekend, because it was union workers that fought and were murdered by corporate police to bring you your 40 hour week and weekends off. If the Corps are allowed to abuse foreign workers with such freedom, then they will surely try it on us again.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#9)
    by pigwiggle on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 08:46:56 AM EST
    “Maybe not if you like being LOCKED into your work place and NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE like those folks. You would make a fantastic sweat shop owner!” These folks could simply walk out in the morning, find the nearest cop and get a free ride home. Why didn’t they Che? We both know why; as bad as it sounds to us, it is good money for them and their family. “because it was union workers that fought and were murdered by corporate police to bring you your 40 hour week and weekends off.” I work around 50-60 hrs. a week for $20,000 a year, no insurance; my wife, 70-80+ hours for $40,000 a year. No overtime, no weekends, no unions. And I’m glad we have the opportunity. If some group of jackasses had organized and won a guaranteed wage for what I do I would most likely not have a position available. It’s not permanent; I do it because I have initiative that will one day pay off with a very comfortable wage. So you organize, fight for a secure and privileged position, but you do so at the expense of every guy who would be willing to out compete you in hour and wage.

    So it made a deal with the mexican government and what's new?, the 11 million is a pay-off, and why isn't the head of wal mart in prison? most of this is lawyers making money deals. oh yes if i go to mexico and work some place without documents what would happen to me? about 20 years in hell called a prison. today our jobs and in the end our lives. government of and by drug dealers in both governments, where is bin laden? working at wal-mart? i can't wait until the rats come for me! death to the enemies of freedom( only joking/mocking the pigs don't shot the old people like in china) long life the dead/Ideals of USA, to hell with bush and business/empire of evil.

    Get real. Walmart doesnt recruit illegal immigrants. Liberals invite them over the border, promise them all taxpayer benefits, translate all govt docs into their language and give them drivers licenses.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#12)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 09:42:01 AM EST
    and give them drivers licenses. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a bald faced lie.

    Re: Wal-Mart Pays $11 Million for Immigrant Worker (none / 0) (#13)
    by nathan on Sat Mar 19, 2005 at 11:24:01 AM EST
    Where to begin? 1) Wal-Mart pays suppliers, workers, taxes, and other overhead. It doesn't keep all $288.2 billion. $11 million is a lot of money no matter who you ask. 2) The janitors were not Walmart employees, they were contractor's employees. Wal-Mart legally hired a contractor that employed immigrants illegally. Suppose a working mother hires a maid-service to clean her house while she's at work and her kids are at school. If it is then discovered that the actual maids are illegally employed, should the working mother be held responsible if she knew it was happening? Perhaps a three dollar fine would be appropriate. 3) I don't know if Wal-Mart or the contractors are actively recruiting illegal immigrants, but I bet the immigrants knew they were here illegally. Maybe Wal-Mart did the right thing locking them up. 4) Thinking all "libs" are for or against anything makes as much sense as 5) Fred, I can't wait for the rats to come for you either.

    et al - Not to put to fine a point on it, but you don't pay fines, or any other operating costs from "revenues." You pay it from "profits." But why should we expect an ABC News reporter to know anything about business? Or, for that matter, you, since you made no comment.