WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ A judge has granted preliminary approval to a proposed settlement of more than $730,000 in the class-action lawsuit brought against Tyson by workers at the company's meatpacking plant in Emporia. The deal ends a nearly eight-year legal battle. U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten also cleared the way on Monday for notices to go out to the nearly 4,900 affected current and former workers. The court scheduled a final approval and fairness hearing for July 2 at the federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas. The lawsuit alleges that Tyson did not pay its workers for the time they spent putting on and taking off protective clothing and walking. Under the proposal, the workers would split about $377,000. Their attorneys would receive about $351,000 in attorney fees.
Judge Gives Tentative Approval to Deal in Tyson Meatpacking Case
