Mills Law Firm Scores Record $40 Million For Massachusetts Wal-Mart Employees

Joint statement from Wal-Mart and the Lead Counsel for Plaintiff Class regarding wage and hour class action case of Salvas v. Wal-Mart

Boston, Massachusetts, December 4, 2009 – Plaintiffs in the wage and hour class action Salvas v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Case No. 01-3645, Middlesex Superior Court, have filed a motion seeking preliminary approval for the parties’ settlement.  The settlement, which provides for a payment of $40,000,000 (including claims, costs, and attorneys’ fees) concludes more than eight years of litigation concerning Wal-Mart’s employment practices in Massachusetts.  In addition, as part of the settlement, Wal-Mart has agreed to continue to maintain electronic systems, surveys, and notices that will protect the rights of workers.

Lead Counsel for the class members, Carolyn Beasley Burton of the Mills Law Firm, reports that tens of thousands of workers have already begun to reap the benefits of the settlement as Wal-Mart continues to implement a variety of structural changes aimed at improving working conditions.   Robert W. Mills of the Mills Law Firm added that the class representatives Crystal Salvas and Elaine Polion deserve a lot of credit for persevering and seeing the case through given the many ups and downs of this litigation.  Burton and Mills were joined by wage and hour attorney Philip Gordon and Kevin Holley who also praised both the class representatives and the settlement.

“This lawsuit was filed years ago and the allegations are not representative of the company we are today,” said Daphne Moore, Wal-Mart spokesperson. “Our policy is to pay associates for every hour worked and to make rest and meal breaks available. This is a commitment we make to the more than 1.4 million associates who choose to work for Wal-Mart and serve our customers and members every day. We have worked hard to have the right communication, processes, and systems in place to help ensure we live up to this commitment.”

Contact for Class Counsel                                   Contact for Wal-Mart  
            Robert W. Mills                                       Wal-Mart Media Relations

       millslawfirm.com                                               1(800) 331-0085

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