Walmart mom whose husband is in Iraq has to quit job, no flexibility

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=47445


Pfc. Everett Downey of Manchester keeps his son, 3-year-old Preston, on his shoulders during departure ceremonies last December for the New Hampshire Army National Guard 744th Transportation Co.

A Manchester mother of two whose husband is serving in Iraq said yesterday she had to leave her Wal-Mart job after her bosses would not switch her schedule to accommodate her medical needs. Downey's husband, Everett, was deployed last December to Iraq along with the New Hampshire Army National Guard's 744th Transportation Company, where he works as a truck driver. That left Mrs. Downey to raise the couple's boys, 8 and 4.

"When he got activated, I couldn't get a babysitter to watch the boys," Downey said. She said she's not sure when her husband will return from Iraq; she's hoping it will be sometime in the next year.
Downey said she had worked at the Bedford Wal-Mart on a regular night shift, 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. However, she asked for and was granted three 12-hour shifts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. She did so, she said, because a friend of hers was able to watch her boys while she worked those shifts.

But working 12 hours at a stretch at night, she said, meant she had to come home to take care of her kids during the day. The sleepless nights caught up with her, she said. On Sept. 17, Downey said, she fell ill at work and eventually passed out. Her boss sent her home; Downey said she was so ill that she had her babysitter pick her up at the store. The next morning, she called her sister-in-law, who took her to Elliot Hospital.

"They told me I needed to see my doctor as soon as possible," Downey said. When she saw her doctor that Monday, Downey said, he warned her that she needed to change her hours to work during the day; her health problems were due to stress. But Downey said that when she asked for a switch from both her store manager and Wal-Mart's district manager, her request was denied. It was a decision Downey said she doesn't understand.

They suck.

I can't protest by boycotting Walmart because I do that anyway. Is there an email addy where we could write the headquarters in Bentonville and tell them they need to change their policy?

but will tell everybody and email the story to tell them Wal-moral-mess-mart does not want their money because they have the wrong values.

walmart is an unpatriotic company .

...and as much as I think they were dicks about this...the article doesn't seem to indicate that she was fired; just that they refused her shift change so she had to quit for her health. Of course, there's no difference in the net result.

resigned by their own choice.

No problem here, move along now.

I'm not disputing the evilness of Wal-Mart or the fact that they screwed her out of a job.

Like you said, same diff.

"Walmart to mom whose hubby is in Iraq: We don't care if it kills you...work 12-hour nights or hit the street"

;)

...more like I hate this corporation!

Straight form the Walmart catalog!


Set on a Depression Christmas Eve in 1933, this heart-tugging story centers around the Waltons. They're a rural American family preparing to celebrate Christmas together. Though times are tough, love and sharing are abundant in this family. An inspiring tale of love, hope and spirit, this deeply moving story goes far beyond the boundaries of time and place to reach out and touch everyone, everywhere.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2393631&cat=105569&type=2&dept=4096&path=0%3A4096%3A41938%3A45111%3A45114#long_descr

Merry Christmas from the Walton Family, troops!!
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

or did she quit?

"she had to leave her Wal-Mart job"

Wal-Mart is Evil and it's un-American. It's like a parasite that says, "look I'm good for you", as it slowly devours you from the inside.

Same result. Her store and district manager refused to accommodate her doctor's orders so she had to leave.

after this article they bend over backwards to get her back.

Only worse these days.

them for that!

nt

to hear who she voted for before I offer up a comment.
Wouldn't want to waste any sympathy on a Repub.

They own us. And discard us at will. It took a very long time before people figured out they had to fight for worker's rights, don't know how long it will take this go round.

Who'da thunk it? :eyes: Way to "support the troops" Walton family!

I have loathed and despised that company for years. But something stinks about this story. Her hours only add up to 36. A week. I worked in a factory 40 to 60 hours a week and raised my kids. 2-3 hours sleep a night for years. I don't see her as a victim.

nt

the most hours they will let you work. That way, they can evade paying you benefits.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

Glad to be here!:hi:

so they won't have to offer benefits.

Good on you, btw.

but most corporations on their HR policies but the thing about working is that you need to be there when the work is - I prefer to sleep during the day and be awake at night but I can't expect my employer to work around that.

If they refused to even consider swapping her shifts, or there was day time shifts available but they wouldn't give them to her maybe there's reason for this to make the newspaper but it's possible that their day shifts were already full - what should they have done forced someone else to work nights? From the article it suggests she had always worked nights - if you don't want a night job don't apply for one - it also lokos like the accomodated a previous request from her, maybe they have other employees to consider.

Like I said I hate Walmart and all the other McJob providers but at some point (even if you're a hardcore pinko like me) you have to accept that you can't have everything you want.

She was doing OK until she had to increase her hours per night because of Bush's illegal fucking War taking her husband away.

Walmart,one of the first to pimp up this War with the old,tired "We support the troops" BS.Of course they don't,this proves it but sure brings the saps into to spend their hard earned money.

that in September she needed her hours changed because of school and they said no problem. Well September comes and she asked for her hours changed and they fired her. They said she just didn't want to work those hours and she was lying about school. Excuse me, do they want to see the nine thousand dollar student loan I had to take out for her school? Not only that they robbed her of her hold back weeks pay to boot. I think it's because she would be unionized if she worked there for more than six months.

Wal-Mart is such a scumy company.

What a bunch of heartless motherfuckers.

Not one damn dime will I ever spend with these bastards.

I heard HD was a huge contibutor to Boosh. How about Lowes?

I can't see how Lowes could be any worse than Home Depot.

I never can figure that out.

had success.

I didn't try the Lowe's search, perhaps I should have.

They didn't appear at all, but that was a 2002 cycle analysis; I didn't find a 2004 analysis but it's probably not out yet.

I did see that the National Basketball Association gives a shitload of money to Democrats and none to Republicans.

...after Target booted the Salvation Army off of it's premisis nationwide. I received an email from the American Family Association with this remark: "Target's new policy is opposite of that with community-minded giants like Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney's, and Big Lots."

Yea, so conservatives think Wal-Mart is community minded now just because the bigoted SA gets the boot from Target? Target contributes millions of dollars to schools of their customer's choice last time I checked. Don't they still do that through their credit cards? The AFA makes me sick.