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PA Democrat

(13,428 posts)

170. Because Wal-Mart routinely STEALS from their employees by forcing them to work unpaid overtime

Thu Feb 21, 2013, 06:04 PM

Feb 2013

by shifting hours into the next pay period to avoid paying overtime. They locked night shift employees in the stores to prevent theft which resulted in at least one employee being unable to get medical care after his foot was crushed in a work accident.

Their overall track record with respect to treatment of their employees is deplorable.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/24/walmart-agrees-to-pay-wor_n_153287.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/walmart-overtime-labor-department-settlement_n_1470543.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/29/1113871/-Walmart-abuses-aren-t-just-a-problem-for-workers-They-re-a-problem-for-the-rule-of-law#

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-01-18/news/0401180046_1_wal-mart-overnight-workers-locked

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Walmart pressing felony charges against employee who ate �multiple� Oreo cookies [View all] phantom power Feb 2013 OP

Les Mis�rables... MotherPetrie Feb 2013 #1

Sums it up. Yet another reason I don't shop there. Eleanors38 Feb 2013 #20

Stealing cookies doesn't exactly make her Jean Valjean Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #22

considering WartMart ripped her off first Tsiyu Feb 2013 #28

horse poopoo Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #32

Horse shit - we're grownups here, darling Tsiyu Feb 2013 #34

Oh sure, Oreos, the food of life Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #41

A few oreo cookies will sustain a person alot longer than a head of lettuce considering there is far Ed Suspicious Feb 2013 #86

So if I am broke and hungry I can go to the bakery and suck the jelly out of all the jelly donuts Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #100

If the bakery systematically destroyed your local economy... antigone382 Feb 2013 #138

Have I told you lately that I love you? Tsiyu Feb 2013 #167

Thanks, though I think my explanation is better in post #142. antigone382 Feb 2013 #171

'see post 87' Tsiyu Feb 2013 #177

LOL dlwickham Feb 2013 #201

She works there treestar Feb 2013 #220

�Poverty is the worst form of violence.� Some smart dude in India said that. R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #105

None? Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #35

The fact that others commit crimes and get away with them Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #40

When one doesn't get paid well enough to pay bills and eat one must do what they must to survive Arcanetrance Feb 2013 #45

Sorry, but cookies are not dietary requirements for anyone Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #48

Cookies are easy to steal compared to many other items of better nutritional value Arcanetrance Feb 2013 #51

You're making a lot of assumptions with no facts to base them on Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #57

Corporations should not be allowed to steal from the country Arcanetrance Feb 2013 #60

Are you justifying theft based on hourly wages? Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #64

Equating food and tires is a bit of a stretch don't you think Arcanetrance Feb 2013 #73

Not really a stretch at all Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #80

But that's my problem we are letting certain groups of people steal without penalty. Arcanetrance Feb 2013 #90

Theft of food by the poor treestar Feb 2013 #221

Do you seriously think leftynyc Feb 2013 #70

No, of course not, but I already said that Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #76

And I think it's fucked they even called the police leftynyc Feb 2013 #79

No employer anywhere no matter how much they pay in wages would turn the other way Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #85

I never said to do nothing leftynyc Feb 2013 #113

Criminal prosecution is almost universal for employers who catch employees stealing Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #117

nearly every restaurant/food service place Tsiyu Feb 2013 #174

this is food you nitwit... nebenaube Feb 2013 #213

So if she stole bread instead of cookies, you'd be OK with it. MotherPetrie Feb 2013 #152

Oreos are not 840high Feb 2013 #62

Stealing isn't right but as our country has proven stealing isn't stealing Arcanetrance Feb 2013 #63

ummm. Yes they are. And not all stealing is stealing. Ed Suspicious Feb 2013 #92

nope - now 840high Feb 2013 #181

I wouldn't like it but I can safely assure you I wouldn't ruin their life over it. Ed Suspicious Feb 2013 #182

Neither would I. Felony 840high Feb 2013 #186

Where did I provide a justification? Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #82

You're comparing eating cookies to endangering the lives of others Scootaloo Feb 2013 #155

<sigh> DainBramaged Feb 2013 #39

Disparate wages now justify theft? Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #42

The moral code that says if you work hard and do your job well Downtown Hound Feb 2013 #67

What you are advocating is a system of vigilantism and chaos Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #97

I'm not necessarily advocating it Downtown Hound Feb 2013 #164

Unless, of course, one is starving. Bake Feb 2013 #46

But was it Walmart who insisted on the felony charge? Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #50

A., Walmart didn't have to make this a police matter. Bake Feb 2013 #53

What alternative did Walmart have then? Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #58

Are you serious??? Bake Feb 2013 #68

They chose to send a message to other employees that I agree with Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #94

Then you belong in pre-revolution France. Bake Feb 2013 #96

I would wager that every person ever caught stealing food said they were hungry Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #98

In the story it said she had been stealing snack foods for years sweetloukillbot Feb 2013 #123

Walmart should just have a policy about it treestar Feb 2013 #223

No where does it say that WalMart doesn't give discounts sweetloukillbot Feb 2013 #229

I would actually be surprised if they do treestar Feb 2013 #231

The message isn't working. Better wages and benefits work MUCH better at reducing shrinkage. PA Democrat Feb 2013 #110

I agree, except that employees DO steal from Costco Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #114

I've never made any such assertion. I simply stated that if reducing shrinkage is the goal PA Democrat Feb 2013 #120

Paying for the bag of cookies and being fired would send the message just as clearly. Gormy Cuss Feb 2013 #165

She admitted it was an ongoing issue sweetloukillbot Feb 2013 #230

Still, have her pay for the crap and fire her. Gormy Cuss Feb 2013 #235

How about $10/week for 8 years? sweetloukillbot Feb 2013 #239

Not in IN. Gormy Cuss Feb 2013 #240

They could have just fired her Downtown Hound Feb 2013 #69

If Wal-Mart were REALLY serious about curbing employee theft, PA Democrat Feb 2013 #104

In retailing I would bet Costco is the exception and not the rule Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #107

Costco's business model has a proven track record. It's not a fluke. Read the article. PA Democrat Feb 2013 #118

How about make her pay for the box of cookies? Squinch Feb 2013 #157

As a former resident of Indiana, I find your statement... DisgustipatedinCA Feb 2013 #205

Not original with me! Bake Feb 2013 #243

Pure, unadulterated BULLSHIT Downtown Hound Feb 2013 #61

I once prosecuted a guy who shoplifted a flounder he hid in his undershorts Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #72

Well smell you, Nancy Drew hatrack Feb 2013 #88

Sorry if I think that it is not OK to steal from your boss Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #99

Well, have fun at the stoning. hatrack Feb 2013 #116

I used to steal to eat as a kid. WCLinolVir Feb 2013 #141

But our system DEPENDS on taking others' property. antigone382 Feb 2013 #142

Oh, so you're a prosecutor? Downtown Hound Feb 2013 #166

+1 nt laundry_queen Feb 2013 #218

+10,000 n/t MindPilot Feb 2013 #222

A-fucking-men! What a piece of shit! n/t backscatter712 Feb 2013 #234

You're a prosecutor? Everything is now clear. Thank you. DisgustipatedinCA Feb 2013 #206

How much taxpayer money did you spend for that $10 fish? DisgustipatedinCA Feb 2013 #209

If you're the prosecutor, there's not much you can do treestar Feb 2013 #225

Kewl story bro! Rex Feb 2013 #238

+1000 smirkymonkey Feb 2013 #192

actually, there are many. HiPointDem Feb 2013 #83

Thank you, Javert. nt Xipe Totec Feb 2013 #126

It's not clear whether they were the store's oreo's or another employee's Recursion Feb 2013 #29

Not press fucking felony charges! Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #33

agreed it shouldn't be a felony charge Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #44

Walmart didn't have to get the police involved leftynyc Feb 2013 #74

Then there is something wrong with the laws of the state. Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #77

Walmart doesn't need a PR dept. with you on the job. Doremus Feb 2013 #133

Perhaps the employer would look at what it pays its employees and if R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #37

Sure, Walmart pays crappy wages, but there are others who pay even less Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #47

That's actually a good point. here's my counterpoint. R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #65

And you pay for those stolen oreo cookies as well.... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #95

I've now posted the same article twice on lousy wages at WM, R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #101

Interesting how Walmart is always singled out among employers Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #106

The OP was about WM. Do you have an issue with that or just theft in general? R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #112

You're correct...the pay is about the same. Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #148

Because Wal-Mart routinely STEALS from their employees by forcing them to work unpaid overtime PA Democrat Feb 2013 #170

because walmart has more employess than any other? RedRocco Feb 2013 #226

This is not news to most DUers... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #115

It is indicative of just how bad things are for those at the lower end of the income spectrum. R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #143

I see my post went right over your head...sorry Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #150

No. I just brought you back to reality. R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #156

Whose reality? Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #168

"WalMart is far from being the only wage slaver." R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #183

*I've now posted the same article twice on lousy wages at WM, Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #184

I applaud your family's buying decisions. R. Daneel Olivaw Feb 2013 #191

Exactly, Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #195

How about firing her leftynyc Feb 2013 #66

I would expect them to feel guilty about paying sub-standard wages. CrispyQ Feb 2013 #102

Justified! kyeshinka Feb 2013 #108

Maybe losing her job demwing Feb 2013 #128

If they are paying them shit wages, they should expect petty theft as a consequence Major Nikon Feb 2013 #140

Not charge her with a felony. That's just stupid. Squinch Feb 2013 #159

Fire her? Rex Feb 2013 #237

Jaysus Key-rist. They commit fraud, conspiracy and cover-ups in my community Baitball Blogger Feb 2013 #2

~$3 is now felony theft? Hayabusa Feb 2013 #3

All theft under $100K is a Class D felony in Indiana Recursion Feb 2013 #12

Thanks for the law Recursion Hayabusa Feb 2013 #17

All it means is that the fine can be greater than a given amount, or the jail term can be a year Recursion Feb 2013 #19

Thanks - sounds very impractical for the state to maintain Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #21

Class D's don't require a grand jury Recursion Feb 2013 #23

Still doesn't make sense Jersey Devil Feb 2013 #30

Indiana ... Teabag Central. That explains it. Bake Feb 2013 #49

There needs to be a food, shelter and clothing exemption. reformist2 Feb 2013 #185

private prisons are the reason - in order to get a private prison to take over your state's prison leftyohiolib Feb 2013 #13

these guaranteed occupancy clauses are a disaster... phantom power Feb 2013 #16

i just heard of a story about a child in kindergarden being arrested for throwing a tantrum leftyohiolib Feb 2013 #18

Gotta pay for those naming rights somehow. MindPilot Feb 2013 #224

She admitted to stealing every week for four years. hack89 Feb 2013 #242

There is a special place for the likes of Wal Mart Sherman A1 Feb 2013 #4

They make me sick. I agree. smirkymonkey Feb 2013 #193

That's harsh. There should be a penalty for stealing merchandise, but jail time TwilightGardener Feb 2013 #5

How in the hell can this be a felony charge? eom Purveyor Feb 2013 #6

You'd think it would be way under the necessary value for felony theft. phantom power Feb 2013 #7

In many states all theft is a felony Recursion Feb 2013 #15

Most Americans don't realize Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #27

"Property is theft!" ~ Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #71

Perhaps.... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #78

True, I don't disagree. Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #87

And I was pointing out that in our constitution Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #91

Yes, and it's quite tragic. Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #93

In order, yes... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #103

Antonio Gramsci has written about this phenomon. Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #124

Well the French Constitution Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #135

As with both Gandhi and King ... Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #147

While they may have had Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #160

Ha! Sometimes shit happens! Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #161

But be careful when they are bearing gifts! Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #162

LOL ... Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #163

Ooops... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #169

OMG I remember hanging with the sharps. undergroundpanther Feb 2013 #215

Weird, but fun days! :D Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #216

mlk and gandhi undergroundpanther Feb 2013 #214

Yep, said the same thing upthread. Fantastic Anarchist Feb 2013 #217

Agreed.... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #228

A bounced check, even if unintentional, is a felony in some states. freshwest Feb 2013 #38

In the article it says she admitted to stealing from Walmart for years TexasBushwhacker Feb 2013 #199

felony theft marions ghost Feb 2013 #8

And... greytdemocrat Feb 2013 #9

What kind of laws do they have in that state? Unless she stole something more appleannie1 Feb 2013 #10

This is corporate terrorism at it's finest. Initech Feb 2013 #11

When I was a young man TM99 Feb 2013 #14

What a crazy psychotic arch-thief! How much anarchy has this woman caused?! ck4829 Feb 2013 #24

She makes 1 and a half times the minimum wage at a small town Wal-Mart Recursion Feb 2013 #25

Yes, because LORD KNOWS a company that makes $240 billion a YEAR . . . HughBeaumont Feb 2013 #26

felony? barbtries Feb 2013 #31

My thought as well ... felony is huge charge Auggie Feb 2013 #84

An attorney would have told her to say nothing. But, while she may have thought that she was AnotherMcIntosh Feb 2013 #179

I don't shop at WalMart for a variety of reasons.... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #36

The circumstances make a difference. white_wolf Feb 2013 #202

I agree it was handled poorly. Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #203

That seems a bit extreme. white_wolf Feb 2013 #207

Agreed. I don't this this federalist system is working very well these days. Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #208

I've long felt a national government is a better fit. white_wolf Feb 2013 #210

Good Morning... Sekhmets Daughter Feb 2013 #227

I thought felony thefts had a dollar floor? Yo_Mama Feb 2013 #43

Someone should set up a donation site for this woman... Earth_First Feb 2013 #52

$11/hour not enough? alp227 Feb 2013 #127

$11 per hour, after some years on the job? Trajan Feb 2013 #154

And I was in management at a big box store 10 years ago and was making less than 10 an hour sweetloukillbot Feb 2013 #233

This falls under the silly category. Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Feb 2013 #54

Felony? FELONY??? louis-t Feb 2013 #55

henry ford paid his employees enough so they could afford to buy his CARS. unblock Feb 2013 #56

k&r avaistheone1 Feb 2013 #59

Boycott Walmart, until they drop the charges!!! reformist2 Feb 2013 #75

I've been boycotting malwart for 20+ years RedstDem Feb 2013 #109

doesnt walmart have better cookies than oreo's? Smll_Ax3 Feb 2013 #81

Good thing it wasn't Otis Spunkmeyer jberryhill Feb 2013 #89

She should have been fired obamanut2012 Feb 2013 #111

She shouldn't even have been fired - how about just a warning? reformist2 Feb 2013 #119

Or just let her take them. I don't like Walmart at all. Robb Feb 2013 #122

Yeah, that seems to be the gist of the thread here nobodyspecial Feb 2013 #175

I weighed at a wal mart community market the month before opening. alp227 Feb 2013 #129

She should have been fired obamanut2012 Feb 2013 #176

That's what happened to a family friend who ripped off a Wal-mart for about 10 grand... Blue_Tires Feb 2013 #180

The High Cost of Poverty Wages triplepoint Feb 2013 #121

How can a package of Oreos be more than a misdemeanor? sinkingfeeling Feb 2013 #125

Strangle the Walton family with their own entrails. Arugula Latte Feb 2013 #130

That Indiana Law they charged her under has got to be unconstitutional. SunSeeker Feb 2013 #131

I wonder if they call a Walmart Asset Protection Manager a WAPman, and if not why not? n/t Bossy Monkey Feb 2013 #132

I totally agree with Jersey Devil. SouthernDonkey Feb 2013 #134

Some apparent facts about the case that haven't appeared in the discussion... DreamGypsy Feb 2013 #136

just take it out of her pay ThomThom Feb 2013 #137

The gist of many of the arguments made in this thread seems to be that......... OceanEcosystem Feb 2013 #139

Eating a cookie is not "theft." reformist2 Feb 2013 #144

If you don't pay for them, it is. n/t. OceanEcosystem Feb 2013 #145

I wouldn't convict her of theft for eating a cookie, ever. It's absurd and abusive. reformist2 Feb 2013 #146

So make her pay for the box of cookies. Don't bring her up on felony charges. Squinch Feb 2013 #158

Exactly. Call it "destruction of property," perhaps, but not theft. reformist2 Feb 2013 #187

I wonder how many of those here in this thread saying, "Yes, it's stealing! Punish it severely!" Squinch Feb 2013 #190

How surprising. DU's own gang of right-wing authoritarians here to defend this week's Javert. backscatter712 Feb 2013 #236

Yes, all employees should be able to open packages at will nobodyspecial Feb 2013 #172

For me, it's that the punishment should fit the crime. IMO, this is total overkill. MotherPetrie Feb 2013 #149

I totally agree that it is excessive punishment. OceanEcosystem Feb 2013 #151

I don't give a shit about that. I just feel for this woman. Walmart can go fuck itself. MotherPetrie Feb 2013 #153

Please sir-- more soup. johnnyreb Feb 2013 #173

I agree with Walmart. If we don't keep order in this country... BlueJazz Feb 2013 #178

Reading your post, one could begin to imagine a terrible dystopia in which Squinch Feb 2013 #198

That store is close to here. In fact, my son worked there for about a year. kas125 Feb 2013 #188

There needs to be a food and water exemption to any felony theft charge. reformist2 Feb 2013 #189

Fuck WalMart. I have never shopped there and I never will. smirkymonkey Feb 2013 #194

Walmart law should be a separate section taught in law school R B Garr Feb 2013 #196

interesting that they bothered to review surveillance video over an open bag of cookies. I worked Liberal_in_LA Feb 2013 #197

Fuck Walmart RedCappedBandit Feb 2013 #200

Doesn't a District Attorney decide what the charges are? cherokeeprogressive Feb 2013 #204

Walmart's business model -- underpaid workers on food stamps -- is a form of freeriding, i.e. theft leveymg Feb 2013 #211

Felony charges are beyond overkill davidpdx Feb 2013 #212

How can it be a felony? treestar Feb 2013 #219

Great. Not only do we subsidize their workers with food stamps ...now we get to pay to have them... L0oniX Feb 2013 #232

Indiana Walmart Employee Admits To Stealing A Pack Of Oreos A Week For Four Years hack89 Feb 2013 #241