Wal-Mart employees locked-in overnight ??

[MORTARDUDE]

http://news.independent.co.uk//world...p?story=482566

Wal-Mart attacked for 'locking in' overnight workers at its stores
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
19 January 2004


Wal-Mart, believed to be the world's largest retailer, is under fire for reportedly locking in overnight workers at many of its stores, sometimes to the detriment of their own safety.

The New York Times reported yesterday a number of cases in which employees were allegedly prevented from leaving a store when they were injured, unwell or, as in one case in Florida, when a hurricane struck the area.

Michael Rodriguez, who works at a Wal-Mart store in Texas and waited an hour for colleagues to free him from beneath fallen machinery as they searched for a key, said: "It isn't right. You could have been bleeding to death and they'll have you locked in."

Wal-Mart officials said a lock-in policy operated in some stores and had done for up to 15 years. But they said the stores were either in high crime areas or at risk of "shrinkage", a euphemism for theft by employees.

Nonetheless the latest charges can only tarnish Wal-Mart's image and strengthen its reputation as a company that combines sophisticated 21st-century retailing techniques with 19th-century-style treatment of its employees.

With 2002 sales of $245bn (?135.2bn), and employing more than 1.2 million people, Wal-Mart has grown from a small shop in Bentonville, northern Arkansas, to a global retail empire, with over 4,500 outlets.

These days, however, it is increasingly seen less as an American corporate legend and more as a pace-setter for a heartless new version of American capitalism. In the past few years the group has been embroiled in controversies ranging from complaints about poor pay and skimpy health care coverage for junior employees to allegations that it does not pay low-level workers for extra hours in lieu of time off.

Federal investigators have accused managers at some Wal-Mart stores of employing illegal immigrants in their maintenance and cleaning crews. Hundreds of illegal immigrants were arrested in raids on 60 outlets across the country. In California, a judge is deciding whether to allow a class-action suit for alleged discrimination by Wal-Mart against women.

Organised labour has long been upset by the group's resistance to the unionisation of its workforce, spurred, critics say, by Wal-Mart's determination to keep the cost of wages and benefits as low as possible.

The relentless rise of Wal-Mart and other large retailers is often held responsible for the decline and extinction of the small "mom and pop" store and the demise of traditional high streets across small town America.

The company either denies most of the charges or blames the breaches of regulation on "rogue" managers. It also believes that some of the complaints are born out of envy at Wal-Wart's success.

On the specific case of "lock-ins", a spokesman said that the employees who had urgently needed to leave a store could have used an emergency fire door.

But Mr Rodriguez and other workers said they were told that these doors could only be opened in case of fire. Use for any other reason could lead to an employee being reprimanded or dismissed.
22 January 2004 01:56

[David]

Bern and I decided awhile back we will no longer be shopping at Wal-Mart.

My sister-in-law works for the grocer union on strike out here. Her union asked them never to patronize Wal-Mart due to their plans of opening "Super Centers" in our area. These centers feature a full grocery store inside along with the usual bloat of Wal-Mart fare. They intend to open between 20-40 of these centers directly competing with the grocery chains.

The owners of the chains know there is no effective way to compete with Wal-Mart. They intend on turning grocery store workers into more sub poverty minimum wage workers in a last ditch effort to fatten their wallets in the changing landscape of the state. In light of these developments the strike was on.

Evidence of the destructive power of Wal-Mart was seen nationally in the last few month with bankruptcies and store closures of many toy outlets. From FAO swartz to KayBee toys last year was tough. Wal-Mart decided to sell toys in December below wholesale costs. Of course they were losing money but that did not matter. It was done for no other reason then to destroy the competition who has less money to spare.

Make your own judgments but as for me and mine we will no longer patronize a store paying its works poverty wages on one hand and destroying good employers on the other.

[39mto39g]

The exits are oly exits during "open Hours" The employees are there to work and not unload the store out the back door, The emergency exits work, but they will set off an alarm. If they had an emergency they should set off an alarm.
Lots of business lock employees in, Example, Drive through banks.
I think there makeing much to do about nothing. Again, The emergency exits work. And not only that if you had an emergency and couldn't get out? through a hammer through the damm window, Dahhhh.

Ron

[revwardoc]

Ron,

Better yet, pick up the store manager, throw him through the window, then leave!

[39mto39g]

No managers on location, The ones that are locked in are cleaning people and restockers. and thats all, They get locked in and let out it the morning and checked for pilferage while leaving.

Just think how easy it would be if the doors were open to bring a 18 wheeler or 2 around to the back and load up all the jewlerie, guns, TVs, Sterios, CDs, Cigaretts, ATM, etc. and leave your $10.00 hour job.

Again,,, the emergency exits work, But they set off an alarm.

Ron

[Seascamp]

Wal-Mart is at high risk with the lock-in deal and they would be well served to check out some law suit and criminal decisions about that exact thing. Just a bit ago an outfit that was producing bulk fried chicken decided that the night shift was passing contraband chicken out the back door so they had a brain-off gas and decided to chain lock the doors. Bad move, as there was a cooking vat fire and a big bunch of employees were found dead and all stacked against a chained exit door.

Significant prison time was handed out for the decision makers and huge punitive and compensatory damages are coming right quickly now. I guess those idiots never heard of alarmed doors or were to stupid to think of reasonable and safe solutions to security/contraband issues. Hmmm, seems that Wal-Mart may have some equally stupid decision makers calling the shots. And I don't suppose that Wal-Mart night employees are necessarly english language literate or are trained on emergency exit proceedures or what the crash bar on an alarmed emergency exit is for.

Hell, I did an audit on a correctional facility reciently and much to my surprise the supposed guards put the Scots Air Packs on upside down and then went through the evacuation drill, yikes!!!!!
Their lame excuse was it was the Fire Department's job to get them up to date on all that kind of thing. The charter of the Fire Department said no such thing at all. It said that they could be training resources for OSHA and fire saftey related issues. Cow Counties, go figure.

Scamp

[revwardoc]

Ron,

My old man used to work for a small furniture chain here in MA as the warehouse manager and he also picked up furniture atvendors' warehouses whenever necessary. After many years doing this, he got to know the backroads and alternate ways to get to a factory. I would occaisionally accompany him on these trips. During one, we spotted a factory truck on a side road and a couple of guys selling furniture off the tailgate. When we arrived at the factory, the old man asked about their new policy of off site sales. Their warehouse manager looked puzzled and asked what the hell was going on. We explained it to him and he and some security people jumped into a van and took off. They came back about 20 minutes later with the police, a half-empty truck, 2 guys in cuffs and a whole stack of cash.

So its not just in-store people who pilfer. One man's pilferage is another man's opportunity.