Golden-based Boston Market Corp. has agreed to pay up to $14 million in cash and benefits to settle a pair of class-action lawsuits brought by nearly 7,000 current and former employees.
Attorneys said the settlement, announced last week, guarantees $3.75 million in cash payments to workers and changes in future pay scales worth an estimated $10.3 million.
The restaurant chain also agreed to reclassify some workers, change how hours are kept and offer training in Spanish, said L. Tracee Lorens, a lawyer for the employees. The two suits, filed in federal court in San Diego in May 2005, represented claims from hourly employees and general managers at the chain, which has 630 outlets in 28 states.
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WASHINGTON, D.C.
EchoStar customers may regain signals
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy introduced a bill that would allow satellite-TV provider EchoStar Communications to resume sending broadcast-TV signals to customers in remote areas.
Douglas County-based EchoStar, the second-biggest U.S. satellite operator, faces a federal court order to turn off by Dec. 1 local-TV-station signals that are delivered to 900,000 remote customers.
Leahy’s bill, introduced before Congress adjourned for the Thanksgiving break, wouldn’t prevent EchoStar from having to turn the stations off.
The House and Senate won’t return until the first week of December, after the court order takes effect.
