Walmart...Bad Employer

I'm a Walmart shopper, at least in the U.S. Canadian Walmart carries different and crummy merchandise for the most part but they aren't so bad in the U.S. I buy most of my fabric at Walmart here in the States and that's how I came upon this story.

I'm a Swedish weaving fanatic and buy monk's cloth at Walmart here because it's cheaper by far than anywhere else...I couldn't even afford to buy it in Canada! So this year, worried about most U.S. Walmarts closing down their fabric department, I've bought up enough monk's cloth to keep me busy for at least 5 years and I've gotten chummy with the salesclerks in the department.

Yesterday I bought up the last of white and beige, probably in the state of florida, and got chatting with the saleslady who appeared to be nearing 80. This isn't unusual in the States because many seniors need to work in order to afford their medication.

As she expertly cut the cloth (it isn't cut the same as other fabrics), she mentioned that all Walmart employees that day had been given instructions and areas to clean in the store. Her assignment was to clean the parking lot. The bloody parking lot and her an 80 year old lady!!!!

When she conmplained, her supervisor told her to just go and work in the department but she was worried she might be fired for disobeying an order. She said she'd worked at Walmart for 26 years full time and she felt that the store was making a concerted effort to get rid of all full time employees, probably so they wouldn't have to pay benefits. This is actually being done by many businesses so it's no surprise.

I told her that if she was fired, I would picket Walmart with her to get her job back. It was said in jest, not really believing Walmart could be so cruel, but I did mean it. Injustice like this needs to be addressed and if it meant walking a picket line then I'd do it.

I've heard for years that Walmart employees aren't happy with management but thought they were possibly unreasonable in their demands but if Walmart is capable of sending an 80 year old woman out to clean their parking lot, then maybe there's something to it.

The same management team who came up with the money saving, profit making program forcing sales people to clean the store and property might one day find themselves out of their high paying jobs. They might just find themselves at the age of 80 working for minimum wage and cleaning the damn parking lot.