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Wal-Mart's stingy sick-leave policy may contribute to swine flu's spread

So concludes a new report from the National Labor Committee that finds that employees of the Arkansas-based retail giant -- even its food handlers -- feel they have no choice but to work when they're sick. That's because the company gives workers demerits and deducts pay for staying home when they're sick or caring for sick children.

Said a worker at one Wal-Mart supercenter:

Plenty of girls are coughing their brains out. But they cannot go home because of points. Everyone comes in sick. You can't stay home and God forbid if you leave early.

The report found that the only time the company is removing sick workers from the food section is when they are coughing too loudly or violently -- and then the person is merely transferred to another department rather than being sent home.

Wal-Mart's sick-leave policy conflicts with recommendations for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which calls on employers to advise workers to be alert for symptoms of flu-like illness and to stay home if they are ill. The CDC also asks employers to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members.

According to the NLC report, a senior vice president for Wal-Mart sent out a memo nationwide to all employees on preparing for the flu season. It told employees to "cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze," "wash your hands regularly" and "avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth":

Not a single word was said about the critical CDC recommendation that workers with "any signs of fever and other signs of influenza-like illness...stay home if they are ill."

The memo goes on to tell employees to familiarize themselves with the company's sick leave policy. But as the NLC notes, that policy is the problem.

Wal-Mart has a demerit system that punishes workers who cannot come to work due to illness. Employees who miss a day due to sickness receive a one-point demerit and lose eight hours of wages.

Employees with more than three absences a six-month period face discipline, and a fifth absence -- even for a sick day -- will result in what the company calls "active coaching" by management.

A sixth absence leads to what Wal-Mart calls "Decision Day," when a worker can be either terminated or put on a year-long trial period during which time he or she can be fired for any infraction and cannot be promoted.

The situation is particularly difficult for Wal-Mart workers who are single parents. The NLC reports on an instance in which an employee got a call from her four-year-old's preschool telling her to pick up the child, who had a fever of 103 degrees F. Despite the fact that the employee had already worked for four hours that day, she got a demerit point for leaving and lost her wages for the rest of the day. The report says:

Parents have no choice but to load their children up with Motrin and Dimetap to mask their symptoms so they can go to school.

The NLC is calling on Wal-Mart to immediately end its demerit and wage docking policies.

Col Hogan wrote:Yet one more reason to avoid Wally World as much as possible...



I do miss the people watching, though...Walmart is full of hoots...

danefan wrote:
I don't have sick days or vacation days, but I am a salaried worker and I get paid no matter what.

JMU DJ wrote:

danefan wrote:
I don't have sick days or vacation days, but I am a salaried worker and I get paid no matter what.

I think this is one of the separations between a "career" and a "job."


Plus Walmart's health benefits are pitiful and don't even cover all of their full time employees... so why should we expect them to cover sick days? It's all about the bottom line and keeping those prices low.

danefan wrote:I'm no labor lawyer, but is there not any kind of state labor protection for paid sick days for unsalaried workers?

Maybe not, now that I think about it.

I don't have sick days or vacation days, but I am a salaried worker and I get paid no matter what.

JMU DJ wrote:

danefan wrote:
I don't have sick days or vacation days, but I am a salaried worker and I get paid no matter what.

I think this is one of the separations between a "career" and a "job."


Plus Walmart's health benefits are pitiful and don't even cover all of their full time employees... so why should we expect them to cover sick days? It's all about the bottom line and keeping those prices low.

bobbythekidd wrote:As a cheap man, I like Walmart. I even worked there right before I went to GSU, and was invited to be part of the class action law suit going on about breaks and lunches. I was never wronged by them and if I would have been I would have told them to shove it. These people are not forced to work for them.

BDKJMU wrote:

JMU DJ wrote:

I think this is one of the separations between a "career" and a "job."


Plus Walmart's health benefits are pitiful and don't even cover all of their full time employees... so why should we expect them to cover sick days? It's all about the bottom line and keeping those prices low.

Actually Walmarts Health bennies are above the national avg for Big Box stores. They used to suck, but not as much anymore according to this Washington Post (and remember, the Wa Post is a left of center to liberal paper). 52% are covered through Walmart (Big Box National Avg is 47%). Only 5.5% lack health insurance...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00507.html

Col Hogan wrote:Yet one more reason to avoid Wally World as much as possible...



I do miss the people watching, though...Walmart is full of hoots...

93henfan wrote:These people should have gotten jobs with the federal government. I have so much use-or-lose leave on the books that I'm not sure rather to take off all of Thanksgiving week and two weeks at Christmas or to just work every other day through New Years.

danefan wrote:I'm no labor lawyer, but is there not any kind of state labor protection for paid sick days for unsalaried workers?

Maybe not, now that I think about it.

I don't have sick days or vacation days, but I am a salaried worker and I get paid no matter what.

93henfan wrote:These people should have gotten jobs with the federal government. I have so much use-or-lose leave on the books that I'm not sure rather to take off all of Thanksgiving week and two weeks at Christmas or to just work every other day through New Years.

93henfan wrote:These people should have gotten jobs with the federal government. I have so much use-or-lose leave on the books that I'm not sure rather to take off all of Thanksgiving week and two weeks at Christmas or to just work every other day through New Years.

Appaholic wrote:

93henfan wrote:These people should have gotten jobs with the federal government. I have so much use-or-lose leave on the books that I'm not sure rather to take off all of Thanksgiving week and two weeks at Christmas or to just work every other day through New Years.

Well, in the spirit of our current administration, perhaps we should take sick time from those who have (government workers) & give to those who don't (private sector)....

mainejeff wrote:It's a company based in the South.......whaddya expect?

93henfan wrote:These people should have gotten jobs with the federal government. I have so much use-or-lose leave on the books that I'm not sure rather to take off all of Thanksgiving week and two weeks at Christmas or to just work every other day through New Years.

danefan wrote:I'm no labor lawyer, but is there not any kind of state labor protection for paid sick days for unsalaried workers?

Maybe not, now that I think about it.

I don't have sick days or vacation days, but I am a salaried worker and I get paid no matter what.

blueballs wrote:

danefan wrote:I'm no labor lawyer, but is there not any kind of state labor protection for paid sick days for unsalaried workers?

Maybe not, now that I think about it.

I don't have sick days or vacation days, but I am a salaried worker and I get paid no matter what.

In Florida you are considered an "exempt" employee, ie. one who has a job description and is paid an annual amount to that job regardless of hours worked, travel, etc.

I could definitely see this happening, not because of WalMart being robber barons, but because these are low skilled, low pay, low intelligence jobs. There are a LOT of people out there who are uemployed who will snap those jobs right up should somebody falter.

Also, it is no great secret that those who make $8 an hour don't necessarily do the best jobs of taking care of themselves, and by that I mean cleanliness, hygiene, living in substandard conditions with lots of other folks, nutrition, etc.

Low skill, low pay, easily replacable, easily expendible means you better have your azz there toiling away.