OUR Walmart
100 signatures reached
To: Doug McMillon, Walmart CEO
Walmart: Stop Forcing Employees to Work in the Dark
We're calling on Walmart to apologize to associates and publicly clarify its policy for requiring employees to work during power outages, without the ability to see and avoid danger.
Why is this important?
When the power goes out at a Walmart store, that doesn't mean work stops. Associates have been ordered to work in darkness, even if their safety is at risk. This happened recently at my Walmart store.
When the power went out in my store, the stock rooms were pitch black, and it was difficult to move safely around the store's floor. But our managers were afraid of losing money, so they insisted we keep working. Here's a video I recorded during one of the outages: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=506116909487557&set=vb.100002677565512&type=2&theater
My coworkers and I worked overnight in the dark, trying to be as careful as possible to avoid injury. I remember feeling outraged by the experience. What would've been the harm in waiting for the power to come back on? Or for a generator to arrive? Are our lives and our safety worth so little to our employer?
Stock rooms can be quite dangerous. Accidents can happen, and when they do, they often involve heavy boxes or dangerous machinery. This isn't a place to work without proper lighting.
If this happened at my store, it's possible it's happening at other store locations. I want Walmart to publicly clarify its policies concerning the safety of its associates. Is it store policy to keep workers on-the-clock during a storewide power outage? We're asking Walmart for answers, and we hope you'll join us.
When the power went out in my store, the stock rooms were pitch black, and it was difficult to move safely around the store's floor. But our managers were afraid of losing money, so they insisted we keep working. Here's a video I recorded during one of the outages: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=506116909487557&set=vb.100002677565512&type=2&theater
My coworkers and I worked overnight in the dark, trying to be as careful as possible to avoid injury. I remember feeling outraged by the experience. What would've been the harm in waiting for the power to come back on? Or for a generator to arrive? Are our lives and our safety worth so little to our employer?
Stock rooms can be quite dangerous. Accidents can happen, and when they do, they often involve heavy boxes or dangerous machinery. This isn't a place to work without proper lighting.
If this happened at my store, it's possible it's happening at other store locations. I want Walmart to publicly clarify its policies concerning the safety of its associates. Is it store policy to keep workers on-the-clock during a storewide power outage? We're asking Walmart for answers, and we hope you'll join us.
