Walmart intentionally failed to pay hundreds of truck drivers in California the minimum wage, a federal jury decided Wednesday, awarding the drivers $54m in damages and opening up the retail giant to penalties. The company argued that the drivers were paid for activities that include those tasks and that they were not working during layovers. Arkansas-based Walmart Stores Inc, the nation’s largest private employer, has faced other criticism over its pay and treatment of US employees. Walmart drivers are not paid by the hour. Drivers were also not paid minimum wage for layovers even though Walmart controlled their time by requiring them to stay with their trucks, the plaintiffs’ attorneys said.

Source: The Guardian November 24, 2016 00:00 UTC