A Bit of Sweet Justice: Wal-Mart to Pay $78.5 Million for Forced Labor

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s biggest retailer, must pay at least $78.5 million for violating Pennsylvania labor laws by forcing employees to work through rest breaks and off the clock, a jury found Friday.

What country do they think this is, China?

Lead plaintiff Dolores Hummel, a single parent, said she worked at a Sam's Club in Reading for 10 years to support her son. Over the years, the pressure to get more work done intensified, she said. Hummel said she worked eight to 12 unpaid hours a month, on average, to meet work demands.

"It should send a message to corporate America that you can't say one thing and do another ... and that you should put people ahead of profits," the plaintiffs' lawyer Michael Donovan said.