Employee Speakout Update: Inaugural Edition
Starting now, Wal-Mart Watch will be periodically updating you on some of the new comments submitted to our Employee Speak-Out site. These comments are sent in from visitors to our site who are former or current employees of Wal-Mart and its sister companies, who have been victims of the systematic abuse and discrimination that Wal-Mart is known for inflicting upon its employees. Remember that if you have a story to tell about working at Wal-Mart, we encourage you to tell us about it - we’ll put it up on the web and let your voice be heard.
As we look forward to the next 4 years, we hope that this website will be among the many tools that Wal-Mart workers use to help change Wal-Mart and their lives for the better.
Workplace stress leads to tragedy for pregnant worker:
“I was a manager in the housewares department. I just got my separation notice from them for not returning to work from my leave of absence. There is a reason I didn’t return; I feel they are responsible for the death of my baby.”
Anonymous on Age-Based Termination:
“Wal Mart is systematically targeting anyone over 40 years of age for firings through systematically assigning the heaviest, most back breaking jobs to that class of people in the facility. Managers are encouraged to pressure senior employees into quitting and firing to ensure that young strong backs are maintained in the facility.”
I attended a meeting that was conducted by a market manager. We were not told to not vote for Obama
Posted by Luke West on Wednesday, November 05 | 5 comments | Permalink
Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Waldemart: Download the Poster
“Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Waldemart” premiers on Halloween, 2008, and the trailer is already online. Sign up at http://waldemartwatch.com for an invitation-only sneak preview of the film on October 30th, or click here to download the webready poster (381 K) to send to friends.
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Friday, October 17 | 3 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Watch Launches “Wal-Mart Employees Speak Out”
Today marks the debut of a new project from Wal-Mart Watch: Wal-Mart Employees Speak-Out. The new website is a chance for Wal-Mart’s employees and former employees to talk about how the retailer’s low wage, poor benefits business model impacts their lives. The site features user-submitted material in the form of comments, stories, and video testimonies. Check it out at: http://walmartspeakout.com.
Wal-Mart workers often face retaliation for speaking out about the many problems at the company. This website is a chance for them to speak out – anonymously, in many cases – without fear of being fired or demoted. The project comes at a time when working Americans are suffering more than ever, but while Wal-Mart reaps record profits as the largest corporation in the world.
Are you a former or current employee of Wal-Mart that has a story to share? Click here to SPEAK OUT! All entries will be kept anonymous unless authorized. Speaking out helps others fight the unfair treatment Wal-Mart is infamous for. Help transform Wal-Mart into the kind of workplace it claims to be, and speak out against unfair policies at the company.
Posted by Media Team on Thursday, October 16 | 8 comments | Permalink
Coming Soon: Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Waldemart
Go to www.waldemartwatch.com to sign up for an invitation-only sneak preview of “Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Waldemart” on October 30th. Look for the full release on October 31st, 2008, or watch the original.
Posted by Media Team on Wednesday, October 15 | 0 comments | Permalink
Weekly Update for Elected Officials: Oct. 10, 2008
Check out this week’s issue of the Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials – a compilation of Wal-Mart news from across the country and beyond.
This week’s issue focuses on Wal-Mart and the current economic crisis. You’ll find stories on how Americans are shifting to thrift stores in order to save money, and whether September’s retail sales figures reflect a downturn in consumer spending. You’ll also find an article from CNN Money discussing whether the state of the economy will affect Wal-Mart’s hiring, especially with the holiday season coming up.
In addition to the economy, you’ll find stories on Wal-Mart’s move to small stores. Are Wal-Mart’s Marketside Stores the wave of the future? And in health care news, Wal-Mart is rolling out electronic personal health records to all of its employees, and has announced changes to its health plan for 2009.
And finally, check out our “Stateside” and “Wal-Mart International” sections to find out what’s going on with Wal-Mart around the country and across the globe.
Wal-Mart Watch Weekly Update for Elected Officials [October 10, 2008]
Posted by Corey Himrod on Friday, October 10 | 0 comments | Permalink
Former Employee Claims Wrongful Termination After Taking Family Leave
An article today in the West Virginia Record tells the story of Arlene Jett, who was fired from Wal-Mart in 2007. Arlene’s family has a number of medical problems - her husband has high blood pressure, her son has a bowel disorder and Arlene herself has Crohn’s Disease. To take care of her family, Arlene took several months of unpaid leave from her job at Wal-Mart. She claims, in a recently-filed lawsuit, that Wal-Mart fired her for taking too much time off, even though such rights are guaranteed under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
This isn’t the first time Wal-Mart has been accused of firing workers who needed special accommodations. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against the company by employees claiming they were discriminated against because of a disability, a scheduling need or for taking maternity leave. Read more about it on our discrimination page or in our research center.
Wirt woman says Wal-Mart wrongfully fired her [West Virginia Record]
A Wirt County woman has filed suit against Wal-Mart, alleging she was wrongfully fired after she used her Family and Medical Leave Act multiple times.
Arlene Jett took medical leave from the store to care for her son, who was born in October 2003, according to the original complaint filed in Wood Circuit Court.
Read the rest of this story ...
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Wednesday, October 08 | 1 comments | Permalink
Wal-Mart Announces Changes to Employee Health Benefits
Wal-Mart’s health care plan is sprawling, and past attempts (PDF) to asses the plan have proved difficult. So we’re not immediately sure what to make of this announcement from Wal-Mart earlier today.
The retailer’s claims that it will expand health coverage for its associates appear fairly superficial, focusing on maternity care and smoking cessation (as opposed to, oh I don’t know, subrogation clauses). They don’t address many of the fundamental problems with the company’s plan: premiums that are too high, waiting periods that are too long and coverage that’s too sparse. To our Wal-Mart-employee readers, what do you think of Wal-Mart’s proposed changes?
Wal-Mart expands worker health benefits [Reuters]
etail leader Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Tuesday that it was expanding health benefits for workers, including offering a 2009 program that provides pre-pregnancy and child development services.
The company said a “Life With Baby” program in next year’s benefits package would provide workers counseling with registered nurses through all phases of maternity.
It said that plan also includes expanded benefits such as periodontal cleanings to help prevent gum disease in mother and child, and a new program designed to stop smoking.
In a statement, the retailer said about 15,000 of its workers have babies each year.
Read the rest of this story ...
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, September 30 | 35 comments | Permalink
Both Parties Pursue ‘Wal-Mart Mom’ Demographic
We’ll take this news from the Financial Times as proof that Wal-Mart Moms agree with our post last week: they’re worried about the kinds of economic problems caused by Wal-Mart.
The FT article makes it seem a bit like working class white women have been responsible for the outcome of every election in the last ten years. We might not go that far, but it’s certainly true that millions of people shop at Wal-Mart’s stores each week, and they all have a vote come November. So what are Wal-Mart Moms thinking now?
Ms Palin’s fading star is only part of the reason why Democrats see a fresh opportunity to go after working class, white women. At least as important is the return of “kitchen table” economic issues to the heart of the campaign, eclipsing the debate over values and culture that Ms Palin helped ignite.
Wal-Mart moms have been hit harder than most by America’s economic storm as their household budgets come under pressure from the rising cost of food, energy and healthcare, while wages stagnate.
A big part of this is Wal-Mart’s role in our economy. Though the retailer claims its low prices help working class families, Wal-Mart reps are less eager to discuss the company’s depressing effect on wages, its tendency to ship well-paying jobs overseas and putting its private health care needs on the public tab. Wal-Mart moms are concerned with the forces that drove them to shop at Wal-Mart in the first place, and the forces which keep them there, too.
Wal-Mart moms beginning to buy Democrat’s message [Financial Times]
Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Tuesday, September 30 | 13 comments | Permalink
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