Supermarket janitors win major settlement

A class-action lawsuit by immigrant janitors resulted in three California supermarket chains agreeing to a $22.4 million settlement for the 2,100 janitors.

The janitors affected were mostly from Mexico and said they worked 70 or more hours a week without overtime, often seven nights a week from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. for as many as 365 days of the year, according to the New York Times. These janitors often earned $3.50 an hour, well below the minimum wage, and were not given health benefits or vacation days. Under the settlement, the janitors will receive an average of $10,000 each.

Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons originally said they were not responsible since the workers were hired by a contractor. The settlement will help challenge this trend of major companies denying responsibility for working conditions by contracting-out.

“Many companies use contractors as a way of avoiding liability,” said Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center. “It avoids paying comparable wages, paying health benefits and making long-term commitments to these employees.”

Similar suits are pending at Wal- Mart and the United Parcel Service.