In 2008, Wal-Mart settled 63 "off-the-clock" abuse cases in 42 states totaling $352 million in unpaid wages to hundreds of thousands of current and former employees. More details below. In the same year, a court-appointed official awarded more than 200 FedEx drivers $14.4 million for being illegally classified as independent contractors.
In large and small companies alike, these examples are commonplace, disturbing, and deteriorating further during hard economic times as recent reports suggest. Working Americans nationwide face increased exploitation as layoffs and cost cutting force unacceptable demands on them, unlikely to be easily reversed.
Prevalence of Workplace Violations
Labor laws since the New Deal aren't working. They're not enforced, have been greatly weakened, are out of date, exempt some industries and occupations partially or entirely, and leave the most vulnerable, like immigrants, minorities and women, subject to exploitation.
Violations found in the week prior to the survey included:
-- 26% got below minimum wage pay;
-- 73% experiencing an overtime violation got only their regular hourly rate;
-- 19% were unpaid for overtime, and 8% were underpaid or promised "comp time;"
-- 17% weren't paid for off-the-clock work;
-- 18% were denied meal breaks;
-- 11% experienced meal break interruptions by employers or supervisors;
-- 12% worked through their meal breaks;
-- 43% got shorter than legally required meal breaks;
-- 4% were paid late;
-- 57% got no pay stub;
-- 2% had illegal pay deductions;
