$625,000 settlement ends Sioux City meat plant pay dispute

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - A $625,000 settlement has been reached in a pay dispute at a Sioux City meat plant.

The Sioux City Journal reports that a federal judge approved the settlement of lawsuit filed in 2016 by five women. Their lawsuit said Curly’s Foods violated federal law by not paying plant workers for time they spent putting on and taking off required gear before and after their shifts and during their unpaid 30-minute meal breaks.

Each of the women will receive $5,000. The remaining $600,000 will be divided among 460 current and former workers who joined the class-action lawsuit.

Curly’s, a division of Smithfield Foods, which was also named in the lawsuit, admits no wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement. Ribs and other precooked meats are processed at the plant.

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Information from: Sioux City Journal, https://www.siouxcityjournal.com