Black Friday - Walmart Strike?

[donaldlovesdaisy]

Originally Posted by Kteacher

I think it's important to remember that holiday work hours are just a piece of the larger Walmart issue. Personally I feel that every employer should ensure a healthy and safe workplace that is also free of any discrimination based on gender, race, age, creed, or sexual orientation.

ITA with you but is there any real proof that Wal Mart is not doing that? With all the laws we have to protect employees from those types of work conditions is there any way that a company could legally get away with not providing those things to their employees.

[cornflake]

Originally Posted by donaldlovesdaisy

ITA with you but is there any real proof that Wal Mart is not doing that? With all the laws we have to protect employees from those types of work conditions is there any way that a company could legally get away with not providing those things to their employees.

There's the giant list of discrimination suits and EEOC actions and suits and etc., that they've paid to settle.

[Kteacher]

Unfortunately this does happen in the workplace, and Walmart isn't the only large employer guilty of it. My state has healthy workplace legislation pending, which would protect workers from all unhealthy working conditions, including verbal abuse.

[eliza61]

Originally Posted by donaldlovesdaisy

ITA with you but is there any real proof that Wal Mart is not doing that? With all the laws we have to protect employees from those types of work conditions is there any way that a company could legally get away with not providing those things to their employees.

So this was one of my experiences and let me say that it was a long time ago, things may have changed.

So the first Saturday I worked at walmart I was working 8.5 hours so legally I was supposed to get a lunch break (30 mins). Supervisor came and told me my lunch was at 1pm after "sally" went to lunch. Anyhoo as typical in retail lunch breaks often get pushed back. around 2 pm when Sally came back from lunch, I went on my break. Supervisor came into lunch area and said I had missed my lunch and to get back on the floor. told me it was my fault I should have gone when I was scheduled. when I asked her how was I to do that since we can't leave the floor empty, she said "that's your problem". Oh and I did not get paid for that time.
Ok, I come in Sunday determine that no matter what I'm going on my break. so break time comes I go to have lunch... supervisor gets on store loud speaker has me paged and in the middle of the store starts yelling at me (I'm a grown A woman, not some kid) that I am not to leave my area unless told to.

Long story short, workers started to "sneak" eating their meals in the changing room.

Now if you complained 9times out of 10 you're fired. So tell me exactly who is going to "punish" the store to follow STATE and federal regulations? This was my first and second day on the job. I came home and told me dh, the nanosecond I finished paying off some bills and saved up a few bucks I was outta there.

[eliza61]

Originally Posted by Gumbo4x4

I know many people who worked there on that timeframe and loved it. I see some people who worked with them are still there. Maybe it was just your local store that was so bad?

Could very well be. I know my local store where I use to work rarely had anyone (low level employees) last more than 2 years. At some point during my kids early years I've worked almost every retail store, I always had a part-time job during the holidays.

My old store was sued a number of times due to forcing people to work hours without pay and I know of at least 2 class action suits that were settled.

honestly I never thought that it might be indicitive of one store, I still don't believe it simply because the abuse was so systemic and literally was from every manager. IMO that shows that this was a "coporate" mentality.

I don't know of anyone who works there now, my area has had tremendous growth since the mid 90's and my local store is one of the older ones. The company did come out publically and say that they were instituting a new "respect" policy so I hope the atmosphere is a lot better.

I'm one of those folks who usually after a bad experience won't support some thing. Not a hard fast, lead pipe rule but it would take alot for me to go back.
I got some bad meat from Aldis supermarket a few times so now I won't shop there.

when we go to disney, we're dvc members I will pay the extra money and shop for staples at the crossroads rather than go to the Orlando walmart. Now I recognize that I'm not hurting walmart but I am a concious shopper as much as I can be, so my shopping habits aren't to hurt a company but more to live within my beliefs. I also recognize that I am blessed financially where I can make that choice and I live in an area where there are other options open to me.

[mhsjax]

Originally Posted by ladypage

I really don't understand what you're saying with this. If you shop at Sears, you're contributing to the same environment that Walmart has. Maybe it was different when you worked there, but not now. Again, like I said, the Walmart near me DOES cater to student schedules, but I don't think that it is necessarily their responsibility.

I DID work at Sears, I don't now and I don't shop there. I answered your question as it pertained to getting time off for school. There should be no confusion, I DID work there and so DID DH. they were more than happy to work with us and our schedules. I no longer shop K mart Sears or Walmart.

[xipotec]

Originally Posted by Gumbo4x4

Recent history has shown unions to be their own worst enemies. The power shift between employee and employer is like a pendulum. At one time, it had swing too far in favor of employer. Unions came about and initially restored the balance. Then things swung too far in the union's direction. This caused economic hardship for companies, and the pendulum began to swing back again. We now find ourselves in an interesting place. On one side are employers who want to return us to 1920s status. On the other side are unions who still think its the 1940s. Both sides are wrong, but the employers hold the power.

Good post , we do see swings in power over time for sure!!

The employers will win this current battle because Americans do not like to suffer at all. The return swing will come , violently I'm afraid, when true suffering begins to hit the lowest economic classes, (and the least powerless to make change).

[xipotec]

Originally Posted by ladypage

As far as I'm concerned it is full time. That's the amount of time I am actually there working, not my breaks or lunch period. So I'm actually there for about 46 hours each week, give or take.

Because I'm only working 39.5 hours I don't qualify for the full time benefits. It's not just Walmart that does that, a lot of minimum wage places do.

They do this here , with a twist, they only allow 20 or less hours per week for most workers because higher than 27 requires them to offer healthcare.,,, sad the amount of people in jy area who want full time work but cannot get it because of policies like this!

[ladypage]

Originally Posted by mhsjax

I DID work at Sears, I don't now and I don't shop there. I answered your question as it pertained to getting time off for school. There should be no confusion, I DID work there and so DID DH. they were more than happy to work with us and our schedules. I no longer shop K mart Sears or Walmart.

The way you answered it made it sound like you still shopped at Sears. I asked if you shopped there and you said yes, and expanded that you had worked there. I obviously misunderstood. The question still remains though, where DO you shop? Because in my experience (and my friend's and family's) most retail environments are the same. My ex-bf's sister worked at Target, and she faced the same things. It's not just Walmart.