Reason #1,873,319 to love WalMart - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

ChainsawCharlie · 11-07-2009, 01:54 PM

Wal-Mart owes employees back wages
Workers have until next week to file claims

By Paul Curtis - The Garden Island

Published: Saturday, November 7, 2009 3:10 AM HST

LIHU‘E — Current and former Hawai‘i Wal-Mart employees who were employed by the company from Nov. 1, 1999, to Feb. 27, 2009, have until Monday to file claims for back wages.

http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2...c799698823.txt

freemason21 · 11-07-2009, 02:43 PM

great company backed hard

kevjob · 11-07-2009, 04:37 PM

See thats how we can increase profits, dont pay employees all their wages.

same old same old.

The high price of low costs rears its ugly head again

Walmart contends they did nothing wrong but settled for 85 million.

Willie T · 11-07-2009, 04:54 PM

I think this is absolutely horrifying. Some people experienced some "interruptions" on their breaks. Shocking! Just appalling! They should be awarded double pay for those entire days.

Because you KNOW they never took any cell phone calls on company time or stood and shot the breeze with another employee for twenty minutes. I am sure these dedicated employees gave a full 8 hours for their 8 hours of pay.

Tiger · 11-07-2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

I think this is absolutely horrifying. Some people experienced some "interruptions" on their breaks. Shocking! Just appalling! They should be awarded double pay for those entire days.

Because you KNOW they never took any cell phone calls on company time or stood and shot the breeze with another employee for twenty minutes. I am sure these dedicated employees gave a full 8 hours for their 8 hours of pay.

After a quick read of Wal-Mart wages and benefits...

the average employee (34 hrs) earns less than $20k/year with no health benefits (which would cost the employee 20% of earnings).

Tinstaafl · 11-07-2009, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

Because you KNOW they never took any cell phone calls on company time or stood and shot the breeze with another employee for twenty minutes. I am sure these dedicated employees gave a full 8 hours for their 8 hours of pay.

Well, my wife tried working there part time a while back, and I can guarantee that at least from her POV that kind of slacking just wasn't possible. Not only that, although full-time employees got a break every 4 hours, part-timers weren't entitled to one in less than 6.

It was just brutal, and we didn't really need the money. She quit.

freemason21 · 11-07-2009, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

I am sure these dedicated employees gave a full 8 hours for their 8 hours of pay.

the board is on fire tonight!! hahaha

jkfox624 · 11-08-2009, 04:47 PM

I heard after you have 4 sick days in a 6 month period they threaten to fire you. Nothing like spreading the swine flu to everyone by forcing ppl to go to work so they dont lose their job.

Mike Finley · 11-08-2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

I think this is absolutely horrifying. Some people experienced some "interruptions" on their breaks. Shocking! Just appalling! They should be awarded double pay for those entire days.

Because you KNOW they never took any cell phone calls on company time or stood and shot the breeze with another employee for twenty minutes. I am sure these dedicated employees gave a full 8 hours for their 8 hours of pay.

While there is some basis of logical thinking behind what you are saying...

... if you did just a tiny bit, you'll see that Wal-mart is the last company on the planet that you would give the benefit of the doubt to when it comes to employement issues.

Add this one to the pot and Wal-mart is probably over a few billion dollars in employment lawsuits it has settled or had to pay.

Google it and get a big bag of pop-corn cause there is a lot to read.

Willie T · 11-08-2009, 05:36 PM

Let's see, if I was just looking at the news article (not to discount all the other information compiled here.... but that IS what this post is about.) I would find my self doing a simple math problem:
85 million divided among 3 million employees gives you about $28.25 per employee.......... over a ten year period... $2.80 per year that these struggling and overworked employees were screwed out of each year.

I'm sorry, Gentlemen, I still fail to see any problem worth even mentioning. And if you have ever worked much, anywhere, I can't imagine you seeing it any way else either. We're talking about people crying about having a penney's worth of "interruption" a day.... if it happened every single day. That boils down to probably something like a supervisor walking past the breakroom door and saying "Hello".

Give me a break! (Pardon the pun)

Mike Finley · 11-08-2009, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

Let's see, if I was just looking at the news article (not to discount all the other information compiled here.... but that IS what this post is about.) I would find my self doing a simple math problem:
85 million divided among 3 million employees gives you about $28.25 per employee.......... over a ten year period... $2.80 per year that these struggling and overworked employees were screwed out of each year.

I'm sorry, Gentlemen, I still fail to see any problem worth even mentioning. And if you've have ever worked much, anywhere, I can't imagine you seeing it any way else either. We're talking about people crying about having a penney's worth of "interruption" a day.... if it happened every single day. That boils down to probably something like a supervisor walking past the breakroom door and saying "Hello".

Give me a break! (Pardon the pun)

While there is some basis of logical thinking behind what you are saying...

... if you did just a tiny bit, you'll see that Wal-mart is the last company on the planet that you would give the benefit of the doubt to when it comes to employement issues.

Add this one to the pot and Wal-mart is probably over a few billion dollars in employment lawsuits it has settled or had to pay.

Google it and get a big bag of pop-corn cause there is a lot to read.

Further I'll add ---

--- I'm not sure where you are getting your information from, but this lawsuit they settled isn't based on somebody

Quote:

That boils down to probably something like a supervisor walking past the breakroom door and saying "Hello

That's ridiculous.

Read the labor regulations, they are pretty simple and pretty straight forward. When you have thousands of people complaining of the same violations... yeah... I guess it's a conspiracy.

Not that Wal-mart has paid out billions of dollars in discrimination and labor lawsuits.

All accidental and wrongfully claimed I guess.

Everybody is just picking on them. Poor Walmart. Keeping those prices low so American's can buy a roll of toilet paper for $.05 less.

Willie T · 11-08-2009, 05:54 PM

While I appreciate your skill in copy/pasting, Mike, I also have come to appreciate you being able to directly address situations posted.

Walmart might take a couple of employees out back, and beat them with fire hoses every day, and they might subject them to all sorts of indignities like our military supposedly does to detainees.

But nothing like that was mentioned in this article. One point only was brought up. A little weak, if there is this mountain of abuse just waiting out there for a lawyer to topple.

Sticking to the facts as presented, we have a bunch of employees snivelling because they want more money than they agreed to work for.

How many of you would defend employees saying this about you and your company practices? Not too many.

BCConstruction · 11-08-2009, 06:27 PM

The problem is this happens in every company and not just wal-mart. I have worked for company's with anything from 1 to 1.3 million employees and they have all had their problems with pay from late wages, Under payed over time, Wrong tax codes, missed bonuses, unpaid over time and so on. When you employ almost 2 million people your bound to have a certain % of people complain about problems.

Mike Finley · 11-08-2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

How many of you would defend employees saying this about you and your company practices? Not too many.

I don't even know what you're trying to say? Defend ourselves if we were guilty? Or defend ourselves if we weren't.

I know my company isn't guilty. We don't play any of the contractor games so prevelent, like 1/2 pay for travel, pretend no overtime etc...

Here's a little true story about Walmart the good.

A gentleman I used to work with -- his wife (60 years old) went into Walmart to shop, a box fell onto her head from up high, knocked her out. Ambulance came, EMTs whole nine yards. Goes to hospital, gets stitches. Her husband approaches Walmart to ask them to pay for her medical bills (about $3000). Manager admits guilt, says it's totally their fault, moron night shift restockers piled boxes totally against safety polcies up high, but unfortunately all claims like this have to go through corporate. Here is their number and the incident claim number.

Corporate says go F-yourselves. While we might have been at fault, cameras show the incident and shows we are at fault, manager of the store admits we are at fault, our corporate policy is for you to sue us, we don't settle claims.

Husband can't believe it, just wants them to cover her medical bills. Goes and gets lawyer. Begins the process. Goes on for 3 years, lawyer approaches Wal-mart 3 times during the process to settle the claim, Walmart refuses - take us to court.

3 years later 2 weeks before court date, Walmart settles for $250,000.00.

Nice guys. Real smart too.

But their mentality is the percentages work in their favor in the long run. Don't settle anything. Tell them to sue us, a lot of them will go away and we will pay out what we only have to. No matter what the circumstances.

Open and shut case of them at fault, guy only wants $3000 to pay the medical bills, Wal-mart makes them go through 3 years of bullsh*t.

Nice place. They are the victim. Always getting picked on.

Billions of dollars paid out in sex discrimination, not paying overtime and everyother labor related lawsuit you can think of.

Willie T · 11-08-2009, 06:56 PM

And any of this pertains to the news article posted, how? I still see employees crying about being "interrupted" to the tune of, at the absolute most a couple of cents a day.

We can all try to construct a house of cards that suits out current agenda and today's selected ax we have to grind. That is but smoke-screening concerning the OP's post. I gave you factual numbers relating to the money spoken of in that post. It's pitiful that anyone would have the lack of initiative and integrity to try and drum up sympathy for "interruptions" of the comforts that are provided by the company on the job.

Ever been in a typical WalMart break-room? I have not. But I'll be willing to bet that those here who have will tell you of padded chairs provided, tables provided, Probably a TV provided, more than likely, free coffee provided, etc. And all this for breaks that the Federal government does not even stipulate as so required by any employer.

Can we try to stay somewhere near "on track"? If other issues exist, let these same lawyers bring them up. They only said they wanted to reclaim those one or two pennies a day for the workers.

Tinstaafl · 11-08-2009, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willie T

Ever been in a typical WalMart break-room? I have not. But I'll be willing to bet that those here who have will tell you of padded chairs provided, tables provided, Probably a TV provided, more than likely, free coffee provided, etc.

I just asked my wife. Chairs most definitely not padded. No TV. No free coffee.

Vending machines.

BCConstruction · 11-08-2009, 07:55 PM

I see this rendering of the new wal-mart break rooms they are designing. Not sure when the change over is ment to happen but they dont look too shabby. Also if you want some more wal-mart laughs check this site out. http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ some quality pics on that site.

Current rooms

They are cutting back on uniforms though.

FremontREO · 11-08-2009, 08:25 PM

I think everyone is missing the basic point.....WalMart did NOT pay a thing...the customers of WalMart paid the lawsuit.

DetailHandyman · 11-09-2009, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FremontREO

I think everyone is missing the basic point.....WalMart did NOT pay a thing...the customers of WalMart paid the lawsuit.

That lawsuit added a penny to the cost of hemorrhoid cream.

Well, knowing Walmart they probably just beat down the supplier to get that extra penny as a price reduction.

Willie T · 11-09-2009, 08:13 AM

Well, the important thing is that the body of critics remains true to their ethics and do no business with companies like that. Of course that would also include PACE, since WalMart owns them... and I believe they are also affiliated with Sam's Club. But I do commend those of you who will not shop those stores in resistance of the tactics you feel they use.