ABC News recently did a story about Walmart and how it could possibly be helping to perpetuate the H1N1 pandemic. According to testimonials from employees, Walmart penalizes those who miss work if they or their children are sick, and often automatically deducts eight hours worth of pay if an employee calls out. (Of course Walmart denies any and all allegations.) According to Charles Kernaghan, the director of the NLC, "They live in fear and dread. Employees at Walmart have no choice but to get themselves to work, no matter how sick they are."
Soooo with this in the back of my mind I went to my Civil Rights and Liberties class where, coincidentally, we were discussing Title XII. My professor spent a large portion of class talking about the Title XII Class Action suit filed against Walmart in 2001.
**A quick refresher for those who don't know: A group of female Walmart employees filed a Title XII class action suit against Walmart in 2001 accusing Walmart of discrimination. The women claimed Walmart was paying women less than men and giving fewer women management positions. The suit was filed on behalf of about 2 million current and former female employees, and is the largest class action suit in our nation's history.**
Walmart is notorious for refusing to "settle," so the case is still going on. There are statistics that show the starting salary for women at Walmart IS lower than it is for men. Furthermore, Walmart is one of the ONLY remaining corporations that uses the "tap-on-the-shoulder" method of promotion; which fosters the "he-man-woman-haters-club" attitude that leads to male supervisors picking other male supervisors, etc. and has left Walmart way behind competitors like Target and JCPenny in terms of females in management positions. If the women win (or should I say WHEN they win) Walmart will have to pay up BIG TIME!
Click here to read the PBS Nightly Business transcript of a conversation with a few of the women involved.
Photocredit: logoboy95 from flickr.com
**A quick refresher for those who don't know: A group of female Walmart employees filed a Title XII class action suit against Walmart in 2001 accusing Walmart of discrimination. The women claimed Walmart was paying women less than men and giving fewer women management positions. The suit was filed on behalf of about 2 million current and former female employees, and is the largest class action suit in our nation's history.**
Walmart is notorious for refusing to "settle," so the case is still going on. There are statistics that show the starting salary for women at Walmart IS lower than it is for men. Furthermore, Walmart is one of the ONLY remaining corporations that uses the "tap-on-the-shoulder" method of promotion; which fosters the "he-man-woman-haters-club" attitude that leads to male supervisors picking other male supervisors, etc. and has left Walmart way behind competitors like Target and JCPenny in terms of females in management positions. If the women win (or should I say WHEN they win) Walmart will have to pay up BIG TIME!
Click here to read the PBS Nightly Business transcript of a conversation with a few of the women involved.
Photocredit: logoboy95 from flickr.com
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