Workers at a huge Walmart warehouse south of Joliet are charging their subcontractor with wage theft.

Joined by supporters and attorneys, they’ll announce the filing of a class-action lawsuit against warehouse contractors at an event outside Chicago’s Walmart, 4650 W. North, tomorrow (Thursday, December 10) at 11:30 a.m.

The lawsuit, filed by the Working Hands Legal Clinic under the Day Laborer Services Act, targets Select Remedy, the staffing agency at the warehouse, and Schneider Logistics, which manages the facility, located in Elwood, Illinois.

The class action would cover about 300 workers at the Walmart warehouse and thousands of additional Select Remedies employees in the Chicago area, an organizer said.

The lawsuit charges that Select Remedies split workers paychecks in order to evade overtime laws and that warehouse workers have not been paid in full for hours worked.

Workers say Walmart, which owns the warehouse and whose products are shipped there, is ultimately reponsible.

“We hold Wal-Mart responsible for what has happened to us,” said Ruben Bautista, a plaintiff in the suit. “They control what happens in their warehouse.”

Said Bautista: “Wal-Mart is the richest company in the world, but the people who distribute their products are treated like slaves.”

The Walmart warehouse workers are supported by Warehouse Workers for Justice, a new workers center founded by United Electrical Workers and the Chicago Workers Collaborative. Workers centers mobilize community support to win protection from exploitation for vulnerable workforces, including immigrants and temporary workers (see Newstips 7-13-05).
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