Wal-Mart will settle a suit with the US government over allegations of using illegal aliens to clean its stores. Without admitting wrongdoing, or any of it's members being charged, Wal-Mart will pay $11 million, an amount a spokeswoman for the company -- that had $285.2 billion in sales last year -- said is "a lot of money". Well that is a laughable statement. Looking around for other coverage I found Lonewacko who puts the money fine into perspective.

However, to Wal*Mart $10 million is about equivalent to their revenue in a 15-minute period.

From MarketWatch

At a press conference in Washington, Garcia said 12 contractors have admitted guilt to the immigration charges and agreed to pay $4 million.

"This case breaks new ground not only because this is a record dollar amount for a civil immigration settlement, but because this settlement requires Wal-Mart to create an internal program to insure future compliance with immigration laws by Wal-Mart contractors and by Wal-Mart itself," Garcia said.

...

The settlement is related to a nationwide predawn raid held Oct. 23, 2003, in which 245 undocumented workers were arrested as they ended their janitorial shifts at 60 Wal-Marts in 21 states.

...

Besides Friday's $11 million payout, Wal-Mart has agreed:

To not "knowingly" hire, recruit and continue to employ unauthorized workers;

To establish, over the next 18 months, a compliance program to verify that contractors are following the law;

To train, over the next 18 months, all stores managers about firing, recruiting and employing undocumented workers;

To maintain an ongoing compliance program;

To cooperate with the federal government's ongoing investigation