Wal-Mart Cleaners Worked 363 Days a Year For Low Pay

NYTimes -- Mr. Zavala, identified by federal agents as an illegal immigrant from Mexico, told the Wal-Mart workers that he and four others employed by a cleaning contractor worked at the Wal-Mart in Old Bridge every night of the year, except Christmas and New Year's Eve.

On Thursday, federal officials acknowledged that they had wiretaps and recordings of conversations and meetings among Wal-Mart executives and contractors. The officials said the government believed that Wal-Mart executives knew the cleaning contractors were using illegal immigrants.

They acknowledged yesterday that 10 immigrants arrested on Thursday in Arizona and Kentucky were employed directly by Wal-Mart.

Federal officials said yesterday that the leading nation of origin for the janitors caught in Thursday's raids was Mexico, with 90. The Czech Republic was second with 35, followed by Mongolia with 22, Brazil with 20. Uzbekistan, Poland, Russia, Georgia and Lithuania each had about a dozen.

Mr. Zavala said the contractor that he and Eunice, his wife, worked for paid them $400 a week each for working 56 hours. That would come to $6.25 an hour if time and a half overtime is included for all hours worked in excess of 40.

"We don't know nothing about days off," said Mr. Zavala, whose hometown is Mexico City. "We don't know nothing about nights off, we don't know health insurance, we don't know life insurance, and we don't know anything about 401(k) plans."