When a janitor is hired and misclassified as an independent contractor and then is pushed to work for 60-plus hours without getting paid for his or her labor, something needs to be done. This is not a brand new issue; it has been going on a while at companies across the country and it affects a large Latino population working these jobs.

There were nearly 500 mostly Latinos cleaning UPS facilities, hotels and other businesses in Illinois and Texas who cleaned up a $1.2 million settlement announced on Monday in the latest in a growing number of lawsuits involving the failure of janitorial contractors to pay their employees according to federal overtime and minimum wage laws.

The workers will look forward to varying amounts up to $50,000 from the settlement. They were employed by cleaning firms contracted with UPS and other major corporations to provide services in Chicago, Dallas and San Antonio.

According to the lawsuit filed with the assistance of the SEIU, janitors were misclassified as independent contractors and worked as much as 60 hours a week without being paid overtime. The janitors’ employer also illegally stripped money out of the workers’ wages to pay for insurance that provided little if any benefit to the workers.

While UPS denied that it employed the janitors, the plaintiffs alleged that it exercised control over the janitors’ working conditions and should be held accountable for the actions of its subcontractors. When it was all said and done, UPS delivered more than a million bucks as result of the litigation.

“When big corporations use subcontractors to subvert the law, it drives down standards for all hard-working people just trying to make a living and support their families,’ said Valarie Long, National Director of the SEIU Property Services Division. “These lawsuits send a sharp signal to crooked employees everywhere that the workers of the world are watching – and we will not tolerate this kind of unlawful behavior.”