Nine of the 250 undocumented workers who were arrested October 23 as part of a national raid on Wal-Mart stores have filed suit against the giant company. Among the claims are:

...failing to pay overtime, withhold taxes and make required workers' compensation contributions.

The plaintiffs are seeking $200,000 in back pay for overtime.

The nine say they worked seven days a week, at least 56 hours a week, and were not paid time and a half for overtime hours, those over 40 a week. The immigrants say they were paid $350 to $500 a week.

The lawsuit said that Wal-Mart, "knowingly and with the intention to defraud the United States government and the plaintiffs and in order to save money on cleaning service contract contractors," employed certain cleaning contractors, "with full knowledge" that these contractors would pay the illegal immigrants far less than they would have paid legal workers.

The plaintiffs, who face deportation for being in the country illegally, also accuse Wal-Mart and its contractors of discriminating against them by giving them lower wages and fewer benefits than other workers because of their national origin.

Wal-Mart's reaction? Essentially, the company says the lawyers representing the plaintiffs are hungry vultures preying on unfortunate immigrants. We don't think so.