2008 Woodie Awards
Wal-Mart fails to protect employees
Susan Glass
Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: Features
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POUGHKEEPSIE, New York-Wal-Mart, one of the biggest corporations in the retail industry, has a reputation of offering low prices in addition to having low appreciation for their workers.
Workers have been complaining about being mistreated by management, deprived of higher wages, too overworked, cut off from health care, and facing gender bias. There is no union for the workers to turn to whenever a problem occurs. If anybody tried to contact one they would automatically be terminated.
The corporation is working to satisfy the customers' needs through promises of excellent service, but at the same time, the stores are ignoring the needs of their workers.
Wal-Mart is one of the largest private corporations in the world, with 3,000 stores opened across the country and new locations opening around the world. The company employ with 1.3 million associates.
The company has ranked second on Fortune's 500 lists in 2005 according to Wakeup Wal-Mart.com, a website that is run by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The site stated that sales are at 312 billion and net profits of 11.2 billion.
The company draws in 100 million customers daily by offering lower prices than its competitors. When people flock in to do their shopping, they are helped by a sales associate and checked out by a cashier. A typical customer does not know that most associate do not earn enough to survive in today's high standard of living.
Wal-Mart has opened super centers throughout the country where they offer the customers everything under one roof. Consumers can purchase anything from groceries to clothes and health and beauty products.
The trouble is that most of these stores are understaffed, workers have to endure crowds of customers and an overwhelmed workload.
There were a number of cases that spread throughout the media where workers would clock out for the day to go home and were ordered by their managers to stay on and continue working after their shifts. Associates are often forced to work without taking their regular lunch hours and 15 minute breaks.
Workers have been complaining about being mistreated by management, deprived of higher wages, too overworked, cut off from health care, and facing gender bias. There is no union for the workers to turn to whenever a problem occurs. If anybody tried to contact one they would automatically be terminated.
The corporation is working to satisfy the customers' needs through promises of excellent service, but at the same time, the stores are ignoring the needs of their workers.
Wal-Mart is one of the largest private corporations in the world, with 3,000 stores opened across the country and new locations opening around the world. The company employ with 1.3 million associates.
The company has ranked second on Fortune's 500 lists in 2005 according to Wakeup Wal-Mart.com, a website that is run by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. The site stated that sales are at 312 billion and net profits of 11.2 billion.
The company draws in 100 million customers daily by offering lower prices than its competitors. When people flock in to do their shopping, they are helped by a sales associate and checked out by a cashier. A typical customer does not know that most associate do not earn enough to survive in today's high standard of living.
Wal-Mart has opened super centers throughout the country where they offer the customers everything under one roof. Consumers can purchase anything from groceries to clothes and health and beauty products.
The trouble is that most of these stores are understaffed, workers have to endure crowds of customers and an overwhelmed workload.
There were a number of cases that spread throughout the media where workers would clock out for the day to go home and were ordered by their managers to stay on and continue working after their shifts. Associates are often forced to work without taking their regular lunch hours and 15 minute breaks.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Christopher Hansen
posted 2/23/07 @ 1:56 PM EST
Great story! I hate wal-mart. I will not buy from them unless forced to. I am glad you are making people aware of the "evil" of wal-mart.
sharon johnson
posted 2/24/07 @ 8:55 AM EST
As a former associate of wm i endure the same treatmemt of these women by being force to work through my breaks, clocking out to keep from going over my clicks,then clocking back in and finishing putting up freight. (Continued…)
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