Victory for Wal-Mart Workers. Projo no where to be found

Did you know that there was a great judgment for workers at Wal-Mart yesterday? YES! In fact, it was the largest class settlement of a wage and hour case in US History.  Did it merit any attention is our local main stream press?  Well as of now it isn't in the on-line version of the Providence Journal? Does any one still get the print version?

Here is the press release:

Over three million Wal-Mart hourly employees who worked in 30 states including Rhode Island had their request for Final Approval of an $85 million dollar settlement approved by United States District Court Judge Phillip Pro today. The settlement class is the largest for wage and hour cases in United States history. Robert Bonsignore, the employees national Lead Counsel said "Today is a good day for all Wal-Mart employees." In addition to the guaranteed $85 million, there is a real ongoing value because of the injunctive relief.  The injunctive relief institutionalizes measures that eliminate, minimize and red flag for corrective action occurrences that were the subject of the employee's lawsuit.

The last day for past or current Wal-Mart employees to submit a request for a cash payment is November 9, 2009. All former and current employees are urged to submit a claim. Claim forms are available by calling 1- 800-677- 5163 or by visiting the claim website at www.walmartmdl.com.

Rhode Island Class Counsel, Jeffrey Padwa, stated in Court documents that "the settlement negotiated provides a fair, reasonable and adequate economic recovery for the class members" and further that "Wal-Mart has agreed to implement and use various technological advancements to better ensure compliance with all policies and laws concerning compensation for time worked and employees' rights to uninterrupted break times." 

Ann Campbell of Warwick, Rhode Island stated in court documents that "I am aware of the settlement agreement that has been reached between the class plaintiffs and Wal-Mart and I support and agree with the settlement.  I believe the settlement is fair, adequate and reasonable."  Mrs. Campbell stated further that "I appreciate the effort my attorneys put into the case and I know that they worked hard … [I] believed this class action would make a difference in the lives of many Rhode Island hourly employees who worked for Wal-Mart."Rhode Island employees have the option of submitting either a Short Claim Form, which provides for an automatic, fixed payment based on the length of their employment, or a Long Claim Form, which provides for a payment amount based on their length of employment and their answers to questions regarding their personal work experiences. Claimants electing to use the Short Form will receive a standard amount estimated to range between $25.00 and $150.00 based upon their length of service. Employees electing to use the Long Form may instead recover an estimated amount between $50.00 and $300.00, depending on their length of service and number of incidents claimed Depending on the number of claims made the amount of the payment may vary and could go up to $1,000.