Wal-Mart Employees Get Neighborly Love
Company closing one store, offering moves to others
Wal-Mart says "Always", but employees say they know otherwise.
Dozens of people gathered outside the New Britain Wal-Mart with signs showing their support for the store’s employees, who will be without jobs come August 31, when the store shuts down.
"For employees who have been here for, in many cases a decade or more, it’s important they are able to get a severance package that the store has offered," said Jon Green, Director of Connecticut Working Families.
It’s also important for those workers to find other jobs. The company has said employees can apply for jobs at other Wal-Marts or Sam’s Club stores, but sometimes that means only a part-time job or one that employees can’t get to.
"Many of them don’t have cars or other transportation. They may not be able to get to Cromwell or Southington," said Green.
Employees say they’ve also been told not to find jobs at other union shops like at Stop and Shop, which will be holding a job fair for them in the near future.
"We should have the right, we do have the right to discontinue working here and go further your career somewhere else, especially under the stress people have been going through here since they made the announcement," said Mike Edwards, a Wal-Mart employee.
Workers also say they feel threatened.
"If we go to the rally, then we are going to lose the severance package," said Rosa Soto, another Wal-Mart employee.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal told the workers Wal-Mart cannot stop them from rallying. It's their constitutional right. His office is investigating the company to make sure employees get the severance they deserve.
Posted Wednesday, Jul 22, 2009 - 6:10 PM EST
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