Katie Rucke
“The only thing consistent about my [work] schedule is that it changes. Even though I’m a full time customer service manager, I can’t even afford to pay my bills. The government says I make too much to get assistance, but I am falling farther and farther into debt. I’m thinking about moving out of my apartment to live in my car for a few months just so I can catch up.” — Walmart employee Janet Sparks, New Market, Ala.
Stories like Janet’s are all too common, which is why on April 24, employees from at least 100 Walmart stores across the U.S. plan to confront local managers about the retailer’s scheduling system.
Issues related to scheduling have been a large focus for the union-backed retail workers organization, OUR Walmart, since many employees say insufficient and erratic work schedules have consigned them to poverty, wreaked havoc on their personal lives and shortchange customer service.
In some stores, workers will go in groups to talk to management before or after their shifts. In other stores, Walmart employees are going to approach management during their shift. According to organizers, the April 24 event will represent the largest mobilization of OUR Walmart members since the Black Friday strikes in November, and is a continuation of the groups goal to mobilize workers amid fears of retaliation.
Rose Campbell is a Walmart employee. Though classified as full-time, Campbell says she often works more like 26 hours a week compared with the 40 she was promised. Though Campbell says she works like a slave, she lives with a friend because she can’t afford rent or health insurance. She says she pitches in by paying a light bill or gas bill — whatever she can afford.
“This is terrible,” she said while talking about Walmart’s record of how the retail giant treats its employees. “And it’s going on in each city.”
Though Campbell says she is scared of losing her job for speaking up for the rights of herself and her co-workers, she says it’s worth losing your job if you have somebody behind you.
Based on the amount of employees willing to share their story, it seems Campbell is not alone.
Kayla Mock never worked for Walmart, but says that other retail giants she has worked for model their policies after Walmart. “Walmart creates a vicious cycle of working to survive, rather than working to improve your quality of life. When Walmart refuses to give workers a living wage, steady hours and affordable health care how are people supposed to make their lives better, let alone achieve the American dream?
“I am scared of the future that Walmart is shaping for my kids and grandkids. It is so difficult to have a comfortable life now and with the standards for workers continually being driven down, it terrifies me to see how low the standards will be for the future generations. That’s why it is so important to hold companies like Walmart accountable for the way it treats their workers and the effect it has on workers’ conditions across the world.”
Earlier this year in January, Walmart’s U.S. President Bill Simon announced that the company was working on issues, including bringing more transparency into the scheduling system and ensuring that part-time associates were aware of full-time openings with the company.
Colby Harris is an associate at a Walmart in Lancaster, Texas. He says that Walmart has yet to live up to those promises. “I haven’t seen any associates that were part-time, that were requesting more hours, getting more hours,” he said, adding that his store has been increasing its use of temporary workers. “I’ve actually seen associates get less hours.”
But some associates like Alan Forrest from Maryland say that after raising concerns about scheduling with management, they have seen improvements. “At my store we’ve really been affected by inconsistent scheduling. My co-workers and I worked with management to find a solution. Now they post a schedule of available shifts, so that we can get more hours if we want.”
Unfortunately for Walmart employees, success stories like Forrest’s seem to be the exception rather than the norm, which is why OUR Walmart organizers scheduled Wednesday’s action.