Wal-Mart is accused in a lawsuit filed in Illinois of breaking federal minimum wage and overtime laws. (Photo by methodshop/flickr)

By The Associated Press 

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is being slapped with a lawsuit that claims that the world's largest retailer and its staffing agencies broke federal minimum wage and overtime laws by requiring temporary workers to appear early for work, stay late to complete work and work through lunches and breaks without compensation.

According to the proposed class action suit that was filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court of Illinois' Eastern Division, Labor Ready and QPS, two of the staffing agencies that the discounter used in the Chicago area, failed to provide workers assigned to the Wal-Mart stores with required employment information.

The suit also claims that Wal-Mart itself failed to keep accurate records of workers' time.

Neither Wal-Mart nor the temp agencies immediately responded to requests for comment.