Mar 1, 2003 12:00 PM

The United Auto Workers has filed a $3.5-million lawsuit against Paccar Inc in federal court in Nashville TN. The legal action charges that some 500 members of UAW Local 1832, who received layoff notices Aug 26, 2002, were cheated out of seven weeks' worth of paychecks when the company locked them out Sept 3, 2002.

This lockout took place at the Peterbilt heavy-truck factory in Madison TN. Peterbilt is a unit of Bellevue WA-based Paccar.

UAW says that Peterbilt locked out 750 members of Local 1832 — including 500 who had received layoff notices — after a contract between UAW members and the company had expired, and the two sides had not reached a new agreement.