This week, Sprawl-Busters received a 5,900 word statement from an Arabic-born American about his work experience in a Wal-Mart store photolab in Delaware. His report of discrimination and abuse ends in his arrest for “terrorism.” Edited for length, here is his story: “I was very enthusiastic about joining the Wal-Mart team as so were the rest of the associates. One afternoon I went on my lunch break, We exited the building through the emergency door and the alarm went off . The store manager ran after me yelling, and threatening me that I was not supposed to exit the building through this door. She then went to the store manager who loudly threatening me if you do that any more you will be FIRED by Wal-Mart!… I setup many departments in the store. One of the associates made comments regarding that I should not come from another country and think that I can work in America and be in charge of setting up the store. When I asked her what do you want me to work like? She answered “you do not come from another country and teach ‘us’ how to work.”… .I was helping a customer on the register and keying her transaction when the telephone rang. This other associate answered the phone and said the Store manager is on the phone. Although I said when I am finished with my customer I can take the call, she took the phone and beat me on the shoulder with the phone in front of the customer. I than contacted the corporate headquarters and requested to speak to someone of a higher level. The district manager asked “do you know who you are?” I said “yes.” She said “you are an hourly associate and could be given a coaching anytime!” I had already reported to the state department of labor a charge of discrimination. This charge has been denied and closed due to lack of evidence and not enough witnesses. The Department of Labor agreed that there was poor, unprofessional management but not discrimination! Directly after this discrimination charge, some managers made the work environment like the hell for me. One time, they forced me to sign a statement that I had raised my voice to an associate. They requested a change of behavior statement from me and suspended me for one day. These managers fabricated a story against me, telling me you are suspended for the night because you took your lunch break after 5 hours not after 4 hours. I agreed to the suspension and asked for 10 minutes to close the photolab but they wanted to call the police to lead me out of the store! Both of them led me out of the store. These two managers threatened me and told me not to work for Wal-Mart any more… .The HR manager was sent to document my issues with the store manager. I explained to her my sufferings of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and a hostile work environment, and about a lot of more other ugly primitive insulting, humiliating treatment which I have been suffering and tolerating for 15 ugly months in that Delaware store. They told me, “OK, you will be transferred to Maryland Wal Mart photolab which you picked out which is the same as your photolab but you must forget everything about this store!.” I went to Maryland to work in a new store. I went back to the Delaware story to buy a 32″ TV, in order to save on taxes. The co-manager told me that I am not allowed anymore to call, she did not want to allow me to buy a TV in that store! Unfortunately, I met my co-manager in the Delaware store after I had finished my part time job and I said to her in a very loud voice, “you are arrogant, ignorant, rude and crude.” She orders me to leave the store, and sent the police to Maryland to arrest me. The police handcuffed me for terroristic threats and arrested me in front of my beloved Maryland Wal*Mart store in front of my coworkers and took me to the cell, where I tried to sleep on the bare floor for almost 5 hours. I was in jail from Friday to Monday, when they handcuffed me and took me to the court where I waived the extradition to Delaware as fugitive in Maryland. The judge instructed me that my ex-Wal-Mart Co store is charging me with (1) fighting (which I did not do), (2) menacing (which I did not do) and (3) trespassing (which is untrue). Wal-Mart has put a tresspass prohibition against me for all Wal-Mart incorporation. I called the Maryland store to ask them not to call the police for me when I come to pick up my last paycheck. My court date is May 29th. I was terminated for “gross misconduct.” My new store manager said it is not him who terminated me, that I have been doing excellent job for them and the customers and they really appreciated my efforts and honesty, and that the decision to terminate me has been made by the human resources management & the marketing management,and they can not change it.”
This former Wal-Mart employee adds this footnote: “I am giving responsibility for how some managers in that Delaware Wal Mart store trashed my dignity. I am giving this responsibility to the Vice president of all Wal-Mart stores global allowing this insane to happen to me. Thank you Delaware Wal-Mart store for this gracious treatment for your hardest working associate in your store… Lord forgive all of these insane creatures for what they have done to my dignity. Lord just give me some strength to try to forget all of this unreasonable unfair, frustrating aggravating, harassing, discriminating annoying and sickening treatments. How many evil methods some Wal Mart managers have followed and used to cover the bitter truth from which mountains would break down! Unfortunately I have not uncovered all of the truth of other incidents yet, so lord help me to have the strength to write about some other horrible, terrible Wal- Mart managers who try to cover their illegal actions and behaviors and make them worse till they explode one day when it is too late to fix and repair. Your faithfully, the most honest hardest Wal-Mart hourly associate approved by his ex- and recent store managers themselves.” Big corporations should be judged by how they treat little people. For a full transcript of this one worker’s tale, contact [email protected]
