Wal-Mart pays up to $640M to settle years of worker suits

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The discount retailer, which has more than 1.4 million employees, says the amount it pays will depend on how many claims are submitted by eligible workers and could range from $352 million to $640 million.

The agreement the company announced Tuesday ends the vast majority of the cases against Wal-Mart. Each settlement still must be approved by a trial court.

Wal-Mart faced 76 class action lawsuits in courts across the country as of March 31, the company said in its most recent 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company, based in Bentonville, Ark., said many of the settled lawsuits were filed years ago and the allegations are not representative of the company Wal-Mart is today.

"Our policy is to pay associates for every hour worked and to provide rest and meal breaks," said Tom Mars, Wal-Mart's executive vice president and general counsel.

The company declined to discuss the case further. Lawyers for plaintiffs did not return calls for comment Tuesday.

Wal-Mart has been working steadily to rehabilitate its image as consumers scrutinize its labor and business practices.

Earlier this month, Wal-Mart said it would pay up to $54.25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it cut workers' break time and didn't prevent employees from working off the clock in Minnesota.

Last year, Wal-Mart said it would pay more than $33 million in back wages to thousands of employees after turning itself in to the Labor Department for paying too little in overtime the previous five years. Also last year, a judge in Pennsylvania ruled that Wal-Mart workers in that state who previously won a $78.5 million class-action award for working off the clock will share an additional $62.3 million in damages.

Under the announced agreement, Wal-Mart will continue to use various electronic systems and other measures to ensure its compliance with wage-and-hour policies and law.