Wal-Mart loses Pennsylvania lawsuit over rest breaks ("off the clock")

[Omaha Steve]

http://money.excite.com/ht/nw/bus/20061012/hle_bus-n122...

Wal-Mart loses Pennsylvania lawsuit over rest breaks

Thursday October 12, 4:42 PM EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Pennsylvania jury on Thursday found that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the world's biggest retailer, violated Pennsylvania labor laws by forcing employees to work "off the clock" or during rest breaks, the discounter and a court official said.

A state jury in Philadelphia found in the favor of Michelle Braun and Dolores Hummel, formerly employed by Wal-Mart. They sued the retailer on behalf of current and former hourly employees, charging that it violated labor laws by having employees work during rest breaks or when they were "off the clock."

But the jury found in Wal-Mart's favor on the charge that it denied workers meal breaks.

The jury has not yet ruled on damages in the case, and a Wal-Mart spokesman said it would not be appropriate to comment before the jury reached a decision on damages.

FULL story at link above.

[jeff30997]

1. Fuck Em!!!

[AlCzervik]

2. Walmart is just shameless and digusting, like it's it's really going to

hurt their bottom line by for empolyee's to take a 15 minute break. I would love to know what the injury rates are in walmart stores.

[struggle4progress]

3. It's a power-trip thing, like lots of other cr@p bosses pull

[Solon]

4. This is a nationwide problem, and occurs frequently...

shorting hours is rather easy for Wal-Mart to do, but another favorite thing is to ask, nicely, for you to cut lunch early(but NOT clock back in early) to help out with this or that. Oddly enough, you rarely get paid for this time.

Wal-Mart uses two basic methods for employees to clock in, the first is electronic, the name tag that employees wear also contain a UPC code on the back, on a pricing sticker, that is actually their SS# in a UPC form. Actually, the pricing machines at Wal-Mart, Telxons, are used to print both the prices for items on shelves, and for printing these employee codes, so technically, to the computer, all employees are products of Wal-Mart, according to its computer.

You swipe your name tag through a machine in the back, that has a simple clock and laser reader on it. Technically, if you forget the nametag, not an unknown occurance, you could punch in your SS# in the keypad on the same machine, but the managers strongly discourage that. The second method for clocking in, the official method for when you lose the name tag is to fill out a time slip at the end of your shift, that is signed by a Manager.

Wal-Mart's time system works like this, OK, you are supposed to swipe your name tag every time you go on break, and every time you go off break as well, even if its a paid break(15 min.).

I will not mention the way employees are scheduled, I worked full time, and I would be scheduled 45 hours one week, and 6 the next week, with 6 days off. Every week I would badger my manager about it, thank the Gods he gave in, so I worked mostly 40 hours a week.

[Strathos]

5. my place of employment did it

I worked at a place that if they thought it was busy enough, they'd clock you back in from break, no matter how long you'd been on break and make you work. Well, they'd make some people work, I stood up to them and wouldn't allow it.

[iamahaingttta]

6. Anyone who works or shops at Walmart...

...is a sucker.
And don't give me that "it's the only store/job in town" crap.
It's been obvious for several years now that they are pure evil, so there's no excuse.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. It is really the only store for my friend who lives in a small town

in central Kansas. She has to go 40 miles to go to a WalMart to shop. Every store in her town of 10,000 has closed since this WalMart opened, except for a small convenience store. So she can go a few blocks to buy milk and bread and gas for her car but everything else is a 40 mile drive to Walmart.

[Sherman A1]

8. You are correct!

In many cases it's the only option, not a good one, but the only one. So ya, do what ya gotta do. It's a damn shame that Wal Mart has gotten to such a dominant position that this can happen, but it's the truth. Those of us with a choice of course need to to what we should do and drive to store that at the very least treats it's employees with human decency and if available support your local Union Retailer.

[Wretched Refuse]

11. Actually

what I love to do is GURANTEE workers jobs at Wal-mart. I go in, sop and fill one if not 2 baksets withs all sorts fo crap, and then just leave it for others to put away. If everyone would od that, the world would be in a much better place.

[Sherman A1]

13. Probably not something that would make management happy

but, then that is probably not really high on the list of things to consider. I recall there being a website listing "fun things to do at Wal Mart", but don't recall the exact web address. I was rolling on the floor reading the list - it was great!

[JimDandy]

18. Here's one such list of fun things to do at Wal-Mart:

http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/370192570...

[Parche]

9. walmart

TEAR DOWN THE WAL..................MART

[Ferret Annica]

10. Wal Mart is my enemy, period.

I will not even walk on the property of that evil place. I would live in a cardboard box and seal food to stay alive before having anything to to with it. Of course at that stage, if it got that bad, I would consider myself an insurgent in my own country, and the destruction of Wal Mart my primary mission.

Right now it is an important thing to work to seeing happen. Wal mart must go away and cease to exist. Period. No compromise.

[Singular73]

12. I have boycotted Walmart for the last 10 years.

But no more.

The problem isn't Walmart.

The problem is the politicians that don't make laws protecting the worker.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

19. I agree

Companies will have no choice but to treat workers better if the law requires them to do so.

[chat_noir]

14. California and Colorado cases

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retail giant is facing a slew of similar suits around the country.

Wal-Mart settled a Colorado case for $50 million and is appealing a $172 million award handed down last year by a California jury.

...

The Pennsylvania case involves labor practices at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores between March 1998 and May 1, 2006.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/12/D8KNEDR82.html



I can hear Peter, Paul and Mary singing, "When will they ever learn?"

[texpatriot2004]

15. The Mart of Darkness is evil. nm

[barb162]

16. iI hope Wal -Mart gets nailed..

They violate more labor laws

[greccogirl]

17. GOOD. Unfortunately,

it won't cause a dent in their pocket. There is really NO excuse for walmart to do the things they are doing - god knows they make enough profit.