“Cheated out of hundreds of millions of dollars of overtime pay, Wal-Mart employees in 28 states have filed lawsuits. In New York, several hundred delivery workers at the Gristedes supermarket chain just won a $3.2 million settlement; they were paid less than $3 an hour for shifts lasting 10 to 12 hours a day. Similar suits are pending against the national drugstore chain Eckerd and the uniform company Cintas, both of which allegedly misclassified their employees as ‘salaried’ in order to avoid paying overtime to those who work more than 40 hours a week. Employers have noticed the trend, and they’re taking measures to shield themselves. Companies like Circuit City, Waffle House, and Labor Ready are demanding that their employees waive the right to pursue employment-related claims in court. Under these waivers, known as mandatory dispute resolution agreements, workers must resolve any work-related legal claims against their employers through private arbitration.” (>>)