OURWalmart Leader

OURWalmart
Organization United for Respect at Walmart
Volume I, Issue 2 share
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OURWalmart.org
Leader
May 2011
Associates Busy Making a
Plan in Southern California
Remember
Your privacy matters.
OUR Walmart will never
share or sell your
personal or financial
information.
Get ready
It’s time to make the
OUR Walmart connection
among Associates much
larger. Stay tuned for an
exciting burst of activities
in June.
OURWalmart.org
Stronger Together: OUR Walmart leaders from nine Walmarts across Southern
California gathered in Buena Park on May 10th to plan growing membership at
their stores.
S
California. “Walmart’s not going
outhern California
Associates came together
to change on their own; it’s
Tuesday, May 10th to
going to take all of us working
connect with each other, learn
together.”
about OUR Walmart
Associates met for two
hours.
They planned the
and take action.
“It’s going
next month of activities
Eighteen Associates
to take
from nine stores
and created an outreach
attended the meeting in all of us
plan to spread the word
Buena Park, California. working
about OUR Walmart.
All told, the Associates
“We don’t just meet
together.”
represented 94 years of
to meet,” said Virgie
Freeman, who works
experience working at
at a Walmart in Rosemead,
Walmart.
“We worked the overnight shift
California. “We get together
and drove 65 miles one way to
to work on making Walmart a
get here,” said Toby Gamble,
better place for Associates and
customers.”
an Associate from Lancaster,
Seattle Associates Get Community Support
W
ith increased interest
in OUR Walmart, a
group of members met in a
suburb of Seattle on May 5th
to discuss their hopes with
two local community leaders,
Rev. Jimmie James of Greater
Things Ministries and Lynn
Domingo of LELO (Legacy
of Equality, Leadership and
Organizing).
The response from the community allies? We’ve got your back! “More and more Associates around the Seattle area are coming together and meeting each other
to talk about OUR Walmart,” said Associate Rosalee Tandecki.
“It’s been really great to meet Associates from other stores and talk about the similar issues we
experience every day,” said Melody Hendricks, also a current Walmart Associate.
As OUR Walmart grows, these types of relationships will help Walmart Associates in our effort to
get Walmart to live up to the standards of local communities.
“It is great to have community leaders coming out, showing support for us and standing with us,”
said current Walmart Associate Gerardo Paladan.
Transforming D-Days
A
ssociates across the
country are standing up
to management when
given a D-Day (Decision Day)
they consider unfair.
Venanzi Luna has worked at
the Walmart in Pico Rivera,
California for four years, and in
the deli since 2009. In March,
she was placed on a D-Day for
allegedly violating attendance
policies.
Luna wrote a D-Day letter that
did not admit guilt in any way,
and pointed out that not once in
almost five years had she been
coached or disciplined for clockin issues.
“I believe the more we join
together, the stronger we are,”
said Luna, adding, “a lot of
Associates don’t know their
rights.”
Luna submitted her letter,
and then went to work on her
D-Day, preparing for the worst.
But she worked her entire shift
without once being approached
by management and still has
her job.
Ronald Phillips was terminated
without a D-Day, but he decided
he wouldn’t just accept it.
Fired on a Monday morning,
Phillips delivered a letter to
management the next day.
Phillips asked for three things:
1. To have his job back.
2. If he couldn’t have his job
back, to be classified as
rehirable.
3. An apology for how he was
treated.
Phillips was given his job back
on the spot.
“I think I got more respect for
fighting it,” he said.
haven’t joined
OUR Walmart yet?
We, the Associates of
Walmart, deserve respect.
It’s what led to the
creation of OUR Walmart
— an organization for
Associates, by Associates.
Join us to improve our
work environment and our
lives. Sign-up online at:
OURWalmart.org
P.O. Box 66536
Washington, DC 20036
1-888-05-RESPECT
(1-888-057-3773)
Copyright 2011 Organization United for Respect at Walmart, an independent, not-for-profit organization for hourly
Associates. Our organization is not affiliated with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.