Walmart Sucks // Current TV

Did Walmart Discriminate Against 2 Million Women?

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will begin hearing what observers are calling "the biggest class-action discrimination case ever fought." The case, which stretches back 11 years, pits the retail giant Walmart against a group of plaintiffs who contend the company intentionally discriminates against its female employees by paying them significantly less money than their male co-workers. The Supreme Court must decide, finally, if the case can proceed as a class-action lawsuit. If the court sides with the plaintiffs, Walmart could potentially be forced to pay millions of its current and former female employees as much as $25 billion in back pay and punitive damages. If Walmart wins, it would deal a blow to class-action lawsuits across the board. Which way is the court likely to rule?

The court will side with Walmart: The law requires class actions to "represent a coherent group of plaintiffs" with common claims and zero conflict, says Daniel Fisher at Forbes. Walmart's "powerful argument" is that its female workforce is "internally fractured," with female executives who supposedly discriminated against other women, and "hundreds of thousands of women who suffered no discrimination."
"Walmart vs. Dukes ask courts to fix the world"

But the court's three women may make a difference: Most people contend that "big business never loses at the Roberts court," says Dahlia Lithwick at Slate's Double X blog. But that assumption ignores the three female justices serving on the current court. This case might be an "early litmust test" for whether Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan "shape the debate about gender discrimination."
"Walmart going to the high court"

Walmart has already won a partial victory by stalling: No matter what the court says, says Andrew Cohen at The Atlantic, Walmart has already "succeeded in blunting the force of the allegations against it" by creating a "breathtaking pretrial delay." It's been more than a decade since Betty Dukes originally brought the discrimination case against Walmart, and it is still "nowhere near trial." Even if the justices rule in favor of Dukes, "it could easily take another 11 years, or longer, to finally resolve this case."
"Welcome to Walmart: The biggest case of the term"The Supreme Court on Tuesday will begin hearing what observers are calling "the... more

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Study: When New Walmarts Open, People Get Fatter

Walmart supercentres offer expanding waistlines and strained buttons along with... more

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Wal-Mart Faces Massive Class Action Suit

A sharply divided federal appeals court has exposed retail giant Wal-Mart to billions... more

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Walmart shopper takes a bat to 29 TVs

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Wal-Mart and H&M destroys unsold clothes instead of giving them to the needy!

COme one people! We've got needy people all over the world. Stop being greedy!

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Walmart Sued for Secret Bathroom Surveillance

A Pennsylvania Walmart Supercenter videotaped employees and customers in a unisex bathroom, several former and current Walmart employees alleged in a lawsuit filed this week.

Seven former and current employees from the Tire and Lube department at the Walmart in Easton, Pa., filed a lawsuit in county court against the Arkansas-based corporation and four local managers Dec. 21.

Several employees discovered an "off-the-shelf" video camera in a store bathroom March 31, 2008, according to the court filing. The unisex bathroom, which also served as a changing room, was used by employees and customers. Customers and employees were not notifed of the surveillance, according to the court filing.

"I am incredulous that anyone would think that it's appropriate conduct for any reason to photograph people in a changing room and bathroom," said Erv McLain, the plaintiffs' attorney.

Walmart said two workers were responsible for the camera.

"Two associates were terminated for placing a camera in an associate dressing room bathroom," Walmart spokesman Greg Rossiter said. "When store management learned of the camera, it was immediately removed."

The company declined further comment.

According to the court filing, the camera was installed by Walmart's loss-prevention unit.

The camera was used to monitor employees for possible theft and it is unclear how long the surveillance took place, McLain said. None of the plaintiffs, however, were accused of stealing from the store.

A store manager acknowledged the existence of the surveillance camera only after employees produced a photo of the camera, McLain said.

"The filming of anyone, including employees, is not something that is unheard of in the industry," McLain said. "But to do it in a changing room and bathroom is totally unprecedented and it could border on criminal activity."

The retailer's "Security and Privacy" policy states that at "some stores and clubs [Walmart] may record your presence on security monitors for safety and security purposes," according to court documents.

(more @ link)A Pennsylvania Walmart Supercenter videotaped employees and customers in a unisex... more

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Tell Walmart to Get Dangerous Products off its Shelves

"Walmart is currently selling holiday gifts for children that have dangerous... more

lookatmypix
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2 years ago
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Black Woman Faces 15 Years in Prison for Cutting Line at Walmart

WTF? I wasn't sure I believed this story so I checked around the net and it seems... more

booksellergirl
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2 years ago
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Chicago Lawmakers fight to block Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mounting a new push to expand in Chicago, hoping that its... more

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2 years ago
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Walmart bottled water contains contaminants

Bottled water is widely considered to be a purer choice than tap water, but a new... more

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3 years ago
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52 comments

Walmart's Role in Politics

Walmart has a bad rap; from the way they treat their employees, the environment, as... more

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3 years ago
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2 comments

Wal-Mart Union in China, but not USA

US retail giant Wal-Mart, which has drawn criticism over allegations it is union... more

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3 years ago
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Why are Democrats taking money from Walmart?

Where does a politician, or a political party, draw the line in the willingness to... more

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Wal-Mart faces $2 billion in labor law violations

"A Minnesota judge has ruled that Wal-Mart Stores Inc violated state wage and... more

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Wal-Mart Defender To Direct Obama's Economic Policy

Just days after clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Obama is naming as his economic policy director an economist who has clashed with critics of Wal-Mart by defending the company as a boon to poor Americans.

The appointment of Jason Furman, 37, a former Clinton administration official who is a visiting scholar at New York University, immediately met with skepticism from some who have faulted Wal-Mart for being stingy toward its workforce.

“It’s surprising because this guy seems to feel that Wal-Mart’s low-wage, low-benefit business model is good for America. That’s just flat-out wrong,” the executive director of Wal-Mart Watch, David Nassar, said. “This guy helped to lend credibility to the Wal-Mart business model. That was disappointing then and it’s disappointing now given this position,” said Mr. Nassar, whose group is backed by a board that includes the president of the Service Employees International Union, Andrew Stern. Mr. Nassar quickly added that he was “not critiquing the Obama campaign.”

A New York-based labor organizer and writer, Jonathan Tasini, said he was puzzled by the selection of Mr. Furman. “It’s legitimate to give you pause,” Mr. Tasini, who ran an unsuccessful primary challenge to Senator Clinton in 2006, said. “There have been concerns raised about where Obama’s economic policies will trend,” the writer said.

Mr. Tasini noted that, while Mr. Obama spurned labor groups by voting for a free-trade agreement with Peru, his past suggests he would be an ally of labor. “It’s hard to believe that during his community organizing work in the poorest neighborhoods of his own city he didn’t have something sink into him about income inequality. There’s no way to read anything he has put out there as anything but rejection for the Wal-Mart model,” Mr. Tasini said.

As the company became a pariah in Democratic circles, Mr. Furman stepped out on the issue in 2005 by publishing a 16-page paper titled, “Wal-Mart: A Progressive Success Story.” He argued that the huge cost savings the company has delivered to its customers, who tend to have low incomes, far outweighed any impact the chain may have had on wages.
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First AIPAC and now this?
Just days after clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Obama is... more

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tagged w/ Walmart Sucks

Did Walmart Discriminate Against 2 Million Women?

Study: When New Walmarts Open, People Get Fatter

Wal-Mart Faces Massive Class Action Suit

Walmart shopper takes a bat to 29 TVs

Wal-Mart and H&M destroys unsold clothes instead of giving them to the needy!

Walmart Sued for Secret Bathroom Surveillance

Tell Walmart to Get Dangerous Products off its Shelves

Black Woman Faces 15 Years in Prison for Cutting Line at Walmart

Chicago Lawmakers fight to block Wal-Mart

Walmart bottled water contains contaminants

Walmart's Role in Politics

Wal-Mart Union in China, but not USA

Why are Democrats taking money from Walmart?

Wal-Mart faces $2 billion in labor law violations

Wal-Mart Defender To Direct Obama's Economic Policy

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