story breaking late this afternoon...
There were serious breakdowns in a government settlement with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. over child labor law violations -- including allowing attorneys for the world's largest retailer to write key parts of the deal, according to a Labor Department inspector general report Monday.
"Allowing" the retailer to "write key part of the deal? WTF?
The inspector general attributed the problems to inadequate management controls and guidelines.
As a result, Wal-Mart received "significant concessions" in the $135,540 settlement made public in February, the report said. Among them: The Labor Department was required to notify the retail giant 15 days in advance of opening an audit or investigation, something that's inconsistent with guidelines for the department's Wage and Hour Division.
Wal-Mart also could avoid formal citations or penalties if it brought facilities into compliance within 10 days of being notified about a violation.
The report said the Wal-Mart deal was "significantly different" from other agreements the Labor Department has made with companies and included far-reaching restrictions on the government's ability to assess monetary penalties.
"These breakdowns resulted in (the Wage and Hour Division) entering into an agreement that gave significant concessions to Wal-Mart ... in exchange for little commitment from the employer beyond what it was already doing or required to do by law," the report said.
..."The Bush Labor Department chose to do an unprecedented favor for Wal-Mart, despite the fact it is well known for violating labor laws, including child labor laws," said Rep. George Miller of California.
"The sweetheart deal put Wal-Mart employees at risk, undermined government effectiveness and further undermined public confidence that the government is acting on its behalf," Miller said.
The settlement involved alleged violations at 25 stores in Arkansas, Connecticut and New Hampshire between 1998 and 2002 that had to do with teenage workers who used hazardous equipment such as chain saws, paper balers or forklifts.
...Miller and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., plan to introduce legislation Tuesday that would bar the Labor Department from agreeing to provide notice to companies before investigating any wage-and-hour law complaints.- AP
You know...why even bother having a government since business seems to be doing what it damn well wants to and completely ignoring laws and care for living, breathing human beings....