Wal-Mart institutes availability requirement
New rule requires workers to work any shift or be fired
By Joe Morris
Business Editor
Wal-Mart officials in Cross Lanes told employees on Tuesday they have to start working practically any shift, any day they’re asked, even if they’ve built up years of seniority and can’t arrange child care. ...
...Workers who have had regular shifts at the store for years now have to commit to being available for any shift from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. If they can’t make the commitment by the end of this week, they’ll be fired.
“It shouldn’t cause any problem, if they [store employees] are concerned about their customers,” Knuckles said.
Several single mothers working at the store have no choice now but to quit, said one employee, who would not give her name for fear of retribution.
“My day care closes at 6 and my baby sitter can’t work past 5,” said the employee, a mother of two who has been a cashier for more than three years. Neither of the services is available over the weekends, she added. “I have to be terminated; I don’t know what I’ll do.”...
...“A lot of people were mad and there were women crying — it’s just terrible,” said the worker, who has been at the store six years. “I’ve put up with a few things, but this has got to be the worst thing I’ve seen them do.”...
What will it take to get these people to organize? Seems like some of the fired workers with nothing to lose would be inspired organizers, that is, if we still had a union movement, which we don't. So what is the threshold? What does it take before people get together and say fuck this?
2 comments:
I'm thinking these wal mart workers are eligible for stand by pay.
You would think so. But being eligible, or even entitled actually getting it in these anti labor days are two very different things.
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