Preliminary Court Ruling a Step Toward Holding Walmart Accountable

Posted on January 8, 2013 by jway

In a preliminary ruling yesterday, Federal District Court granted a motion to have Walmart listed as a defendant in a class action wage theft lawsuit. The suit alleges that warehouse workers (with Warehouse Workers United) were forced to work 12-16 hour days without overtime pay and with only a lunch break. The addition of Walmart as a defendant is a major victory for those working to hold Walmart accountable for abuses in its supply chain.

Walmart has long employed the tactic of distancing itself from the problematic treatment of workers in its supply and logistics chain by contracting and subcontracting labor. This outsourcing strategy has provided Walmart some shield for criticisms about the conditions in the factories that produce its goods, as well as the warehouses that store these products.

To this end, in a Southern California warehouse which exclusively moved Walmart goods, “workers were employed by staffing companies, which were subcontracted by the logistics company Schneider, which was hired by Walmart” according to a piece in The Nation.

While Walmart’s connections to the facility may be particularly evident in this case, the ruling is nonetheless a major advance in the struggle to hold Walmart accountable for the abhorrent work conditions from which it profits.

Comments

  • chris

    sam,s club at 4711 is just over work there night crew and will not hire any more to help out

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/ZCQZDHVGXLCYVQ3LAB3TFQSS4Q Richard Crooks

    Wal Mart is a sleazy company that only wants cheap labor and then tell the American Public about low prices, which in a lot of cases is a lie. Try and find something there that is made in the United States. If our government does shut the door unemployment will always be high. Tax the hell out of what ever they bring into the country to solve our National Debt.

  • floridanativee

    These folks do not even work for Wal-Mart. I think this is the same bunch of folks who were behind the failed Black Friday protests.

    • MEProudLIBERAL

      Tell it to the judge.

      • floridanativee

        More of union members wasted so the union bosses can try to get more dues money for their perks. They have already wasted tens of millions of dollars already without any dues being paid to the unions. This is just more job security for the union recruiters and nothing for the union dues paying members. How much longer will they put up with this decades long waste of their money.

      • MEProudLIBERAL

        It’s too bad you can’t stay on topic.

      • floridanativee

        It is on topic for those capable of thinking it through. Get your steward to explain it to you.

      • MEProudLIBERAL

        No it’s not. Get your therapist to explain it to you.

      • floridanativee

        OK explain to me how Wal-Mart is responsible for these employees who don’t even work for them.

      • MEProudLIBERAL

        Why? The judge made a ruling. If Walmart is not happy with the ruling they can appeal. If you don’t like how the justice system in this country works try another one. Cuba’s real close to Florida, maybe their justice system is more to you liking.

      • floridanativee

        Judges frequently make lousy rulings. The 9th circuit is over ruled by the US Supreme Court 60% of the time. California judges regularly over rule propositions approved by the people overwhelmingly. Now tell me why Wal-Mart is responsibility for these people not working for them. Is McDonald’s responsible for the workers making their french fries at the potato factory? You folks are unwisely spending your members dues. One reason private union membership is plummeting. Do something to help your member, not something to help the union bosses.

      • MEProudLIBERAL

        If your not happy with the justice system in this country, built yourself a raft and paddle on over to Cuba. Get yourself a Chinese life preserver, a set of oars and a gun to kill sharks from your local Walmart.

      • floridanativee

        Slander, the last refuge of a scoundrel. Typical liberal drivel. When you can’t answer the question, change the subject and attack the questioner. So predictable. Do they teach that in thuggery school?

      • MEProudLIBERAL

        Thanks for the delusional rant!

      • floridanativee

        Slander, the last refuge of a scoundrel. Typical liberal drivel. When
        you can’t answer the question, change the subject and attack the
        questioner. So predictable. Do they teach that in thuggery school?

  • http://www.facebook.com/bjt57 Bertha Trammell

    walmart does the same thing to other workers if you a cashier or hourly associate they will have you to take a longer lunch to eat up the overtime you have worked

  • LivingInSeattle

    If you don’t want to be paid Wal-Mart wages don’t work at Wal-Mart. Go to school and get an education or learn a trade. Why should Wal-Mart raise their wages if they have no problem filling the jobs. Nobody is making them work for Wal-Mart.

    • I’maWalmartworker

      Sometimes people have no choice. Sometimes it takes people years to get through college. Because of many reasons such as having a family to raise; needing to support them and not having the financial means in place to complete schooling also puts a hamper on the matter as well; even if a person has no family to support it doesn’t mean they should have any less reason to get paid fairly. There are many people who are not mentally capable of handling college. They still want to be able to learn to do a job and get paid a decent wage. Sir your comment is in bad taste. I’m in college, I have a family, I work at Wal-Mart, and I receive food stamps. I have tried and tried to find employment with higher wages. It can be difficult. I’m a firm believer in hard work, integrity, and an honest day’s pay. They can only fill the spots because some people have little to no choice. We have many at Wal-Mart who have college degrees who cannot find decent paying work even with their degree. For instance we have a chef, engineers, therapists, school teachers and more at our Wal-Mart and they cannot even find a job right now. Then there are the folks who are developmentally disabled who are gleaming with joy and only want to be loved and treated with respect, should those people be paid less because they cannot go to college?