Walmart raises minimum wage to $11, promptly closes select Sam's Club stores without warning - Sensationalist Headlines

This is a combination of two articles. [quote]Walmart Stores Inc will raise entry-level wages for U.S. hourly employees to $11 an hour in February as it benefits from last month’s major overhaul of the U.S. tax code and competes for low wage workers in a tight labor market. Walmart, the world’s largest retailer and private employer, announced the hike on Thursday, saying it would also offer a one-time cash bonus, based on length of service, of up to $1,000, and expand maternity and parental leave benefits. The pay increase, Walmart’s third minimum wage increase since 2015, and bonus will benefit more than 1 million U.S. hourly workers, it said. Walmart said the new tax law will create “some financial benefit for the company” and that is it is in the early process of assessing additional investments. “We are in the early stages of assessing the opportunities tax reform creates for us,” President and Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon said in a statement. The tax law gives the retailer an opportunity to be more competitive globally and to accelerate investment plans for the United States, he said.[/quote] [url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-wages/lower-taxes-and-tight-labor-market-prompt-walmart-to-hike-u-s-wages-idUSKBN1F01N8]Reuters[/url] [quote] Walmart is suddenly closing several Sam's Club stores across the US. Closures were reported by local media in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Arizona, Alaska, and elsewhere. In some cases, employees were not informed of the closures prior to showing up to work on Thursday. Instead, they learned that their store would be closing when they found the store's doors locked and a notice announcing the closure, according to reports. Walmart and Sam's Club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.[/quote] Sam's Club did post something on their Twitter though. [media]https://twitter.com/SamsClub/status/951505233359921152[/media] [url=http://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-suddenly-closes-sams-club-stores-2018-1]Business Insider[/url]

Showing up to work your shift, and finding out your place of employment is now closed without warning? That fucking sucks, been there done that :(

Never knew Sam's Club was affiliated with Walmart. Sucks for the employees.

[QUOTE=The_J_Hat;53044208]Never knew Sam's Club was affiliated with Walmart. Sucks for the employees.[/QUOTE] Walmart won't open a Sam's Club in a city unless theres already 2 Walmarts opened in the city. Congrats to Walmart for [i]almost[/i] paying their employees a livable wage. I remember when I was a department manager at walmart and they decided to increase the base wage for DM's to $11, and $13 for managers of Auto center, electronics, and Sporting goods. I was the Auto [i]and[/i] sporting goods manager and my store manager reassigned me as the hardware manager to avoid paying me more, but still kept as manager of sporting goods and auto. Walmart is a fucking awful company to work for.

So you can just lose your job overnight in the US without any warning? What a fucking unregulated shithole.

I mean, that's already the minimum wage in the county next to me, or $0.60 more than the one in my current county. $3 less than the one for NYC, though. So, they're reaching just an inch above the expectation for "bare minimum" and imo don't really deserve as much credit as they're hoping for.

[QUOTE=Quark:;53044191]Showing up to work your shift, and finding out your place of employment is now closed without warning? That fucking sucks, been there done that :([/QUOTE] How the fuck is that legal at all? Couldn't the people affected take this to court?

[QUOTE=_Axel;53044224]So you can just lose your job overnight in the US without any warning? What a fucking unregulated shithole.[/QUOTE] Depends what kind of work contract you signed when you got hired. A lot of jobs nowadays are "at will" which means you can be fired/terminated at any time for any reason.

[QUOTE=The_J_Hat;53044208]Never knew Sam's Club was affiliated with Walmart. Sucks for the employees.[/QUOTE] Both started by Sam Walton. You can see where the store names come from. I work at Sam's Club and I have today off. Hope I don't end up finding out bad news soon.

[QUOTE=LegndNikko;53044247]I mean, that's already the minimum wage in the county next to me, or $0.60 more than the one in my current county. $3 less than the one for NYC, though. So, they're reaching just an inch above the expectation for "bare minimum" and imo don't really deserve as much credit as they're hoping for.[/QUOTE] The Walmart north of me in Williston (ND) is paying $15 an hour for full-time cashiers right now. Not that long ago they were paying $18, and not long before that well into the $20~ an hour range. I think there was a Walmart somewhere near the Texas oil fields that was paying near $30 an hour. Walmart can easily pay its employees a livable wage and still make money. But they won't. They'll just occasionally raise the base pay a couple pennies for PR points.

[QUOTE=Keychain;53044272]Both started by Sam Walton. You can see where the store names come from. I work at Sam's Club and I have today off. Hope I don't end up finding out bad news soon.[/QUOTE] The Business Insider article has 63 of them that they've collected.

[QUOTE=booster;53044262]How the fuck is that legal at all? Couldn't the people affected take this to court?[/QUOTE] If its an "at-will" state, they can totally do this. The majority of states are. Its basically a rule that allows employers and employees to end employment at any time without notice. Its played up as being in favor of the employee ("you can leave your job anytime you want if your dissatisfied") but really, its just so companies can fire you for any reason and even better yet, they don't have to disclose why. Fired because of your race or sex? Its a protected class, so you could get your old employer in trouble. Bad news, the onus is on you to prove it, unless they were dumb enough to tell you.

[QUOTE=Blazyd;53044269]Depends what kind of work contract you signed when you got hired. A lot of jobs nowadays are "at will" which means you can be fired/terminated at any time for any reason.[/QUOTE] to be clear: you don't sign a "contract" in an at-will state, it's more like an agreement

[QUOTE=Demache;53044296]If its an "at-will" state, they can totally do this. The majority of states are. Its basically a rule that allows employers and employees to end employment at any time without notice. Its played up as being in favor of the employee ("you can leave your job anytime you want if your dissatisfied") but really, its just so companies can fire you for any reason and even better yet, they don't have to disclose why. Fired because of your race or sex? Its a protected class, so you could get your employer in trouble. Bad news, the onus is on you to prove it, unless they were dumb enough to tell you.[/QUOTE] Damn that's scummy as hell.

[QUOTE=_Axel;53044224]So you can just lose your job overnight in the US without any warning? What a fucking unregulated shithole.[/QUOTE] They did that when the shut down the VC Summer construction site. Told everyone they had 30 minutes to grab their stuff and get out of the gate. It's done to prevent people from breaking/stealing/etc...

[QUOTE=Keychain;53044272]Both started by Sam Walton. You can see where the store names come from. I work at Sam's Club and I have today off. Hope I don't end up finding out bad news soon.[/QUOTE] I work at Sam's Club and I got a packet saying my store will close on 26th of January. So chances are if you didn't get the warning then you should be fine. As for me I need to start looking for another job.

[QUOTE=LoLWaT?;53044297]I'm gonna need some specifics on that--on the store, the position, the area's cost of living.[/QUOTE] See that part where I said "I think". I saw the picture on imgur like 5 or 6 years ago. I don't remember any specifics, just that the signs were offering $26 or $28 an hour. And Walmart isn't going to advertise a store manager, or other normally $30/hr position, within the store or online. They tend to hire from within for that since the candidates for that are already pre-brainwashed. But this picture is from Williston North Dakota about 4 years ago once the oil boom was starting to die down. [t]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6b/42/55/6b4255f9aa58467d65be00465985c49d.jpg[/t] Next time I'm in Williston I can take you a picture of the Big ol' sign they have in front of the store begging people to work there for $15 when everywhere else in Williston is paying $20 an hour. A reasonable apartment in Williston will cost you anywhere from $600-$1,000 bucks a month depending if you want underground parking or a washer/dryer in the unit. About the same, a little cheaper honestly, as what I'm paying in Bismarck ND where the wages are much lower. Either way, it's not about cost of living. It's the fact that Walmart [i]can[/i] pay those wages and still operate well above their bottom line.

[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;53044311]They did that when the shut down the VC Summer construction site. Told everyone they had 30 minutes to grab their stuff and get out of the gate. It's done to prevent people from breaking/stealing/etc...[/QUOTE] What a shit justification lol

Any chance those who lost their job at one store can get a new job at a different one? There's tons of Walmarts and Sam's clubs. Surely there's another one close by. If not a slightly inconvenient drive away. It would be better than ending employment dead stop.

[QUOTE=OvB;53044332]Any chance those you lost their job at one store can get a new job at a different one? There's tons of Walmarts and Sam's clubs. Surely there's another one close by. If not a slightly inconvenient drive away. It would be better than ending employment dead stop.[/QUOTE] Actually funny enough there's a Walmart like 2 feet away. But I think I'm done working with Walmart for a while, and you're encouraged to work at a nearby Walmart.

[QUOTE=OvB;53044332]Any chance those who lost their job at one store can get a new job at a different one? There's tons of Walmarts and Sam's clubs. Surely there's another one close by. If not a slightly inconvenient drive away. It would be better than ending employment dead stop.[/QUOTE] Generally, yea. For that type of lay off they'll offer you employment at a different location but if that location has no openings, you're fucked. You can always transfer to small town Nebraska to keep your $11/hr job but effectively you're fired.

[QUOTE=Vantes14;53044319]I work at Sam's Club and I got a packet saying my store will close on 26th of January. So chances are if you didn't get the warning then you should be fine. As for me I need to start looking for another job.[/QUOTE] Jesus christ man. Hope you can find some connections to other stores with your co-workers and managers.

Remember Walmart is literally at the top of the Fortune 500 and still pulls this shit.

[QUOTE=booster;53044262]How the fuck is that legal at all? Couldn't the people affected take this to court?[/QUOTE] Short answer: no. Long answer: "at will" and "right to work" employment is hell.

[QUOTE=Keychain;53044349]Jesus christ man. Hope you can find some connections to other stores with your co-workers and managers.[/QUOTE] I can work with my dad at another warehouse place. I got experience as a forklift driver and they don't mind an extra hand.

As I'm learning more and more, Business Insider is a horrible source. They have this bad habit of taking articles from other sources, leaving out important parts, and sensationalizing others. If you follow BI's links to the real sources, you'll see that Walmart is paying everyone who got laid off for 60 more days and that they are all eligible to transfer to other stores. ([URL]http://www.khou.com/news/local/multiple-sams-clubs-close-without-notice-in-houston-across-nation/507151005?sdkjhsdks[/URL])

[QUOTE=Demache;53044296]If its an "at-will" state, they can totally do this. The majority of states are. Its basically a rule that allows employers and employees to end employment at any time without notice. Its played up as being in favor of the employee ("you can leave your job anytime you want if your dissatisfied") but really, its just so companies can fire you for any reason and even better yet, they don't have to disclose why. Fired because of your race or sex? Its a protected class, so you could get your old employer in trouble. Bad news, the onus is on you to prove it, unless they were dumb enough to tell you.[/QUOTE] Pfft. In an at-will state your boss is legally entitled to fire your ass because they're grumpy and didn't get their coffee right that morning, or you parked two degrees off kilter, or they don't like your tie. It isn't so much 'They can fire you because they don't like your class and as long as you can't prove it they can't be sued', it's 'They can fire you because they're bored and there's fuck all you can do about it'. It fucking sucks and needs to be legislated away. [QUOTE=Cyke Lon bee;53044284]The Walmart north of me in Williston (ND) is paying $15 an hour for full-time cashiers right now. Not that long ago they were paying $18, and not long before that well into the $20~ an hour range. I think there was a Walmart somewhere near the Texas oil fields that was paying near $30 an hour. Walmart can easily pay its employees a livable wage and still make money. But they won't. They'll just occasionally raise the base pay a couple pennies for PR points.[/QUOTE] Yup. It's one of the many reasons I fucked off from that company as soon as I could.

Feel for everyone who got shafted by this, Walmart is scummy and even over here their level of dirty tactics plays into Asda which is basically the UK's Walmart. You will be scared to see what they do with their contracts to make sure they sit on the edge of being legal.

[QUOTE=Cyke Lon bee;53044320]See that part where I said "I think". I saw the picture on imgur like 5 or 6 years ago. I don't remember any specifics, just that the signs were offering $26 or $28 an hour. And Walmart isn't going to advertise a store manager, or other normally $30/hr position, within the store or online. They tend to hire from within for that since the candidates for that are already pre-brainwashed. But this picture is from Williston North Dakota about 4 years ago once the oil boom was starting to die down. [t]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6b/42/55/6b4255f9aa58467d65be00465985c49d.jpg[/t] Next time I'm in Williston I can take you a picture of the Big ol' sign they have in front of the store begging people to work there for $15 when everywhere else in Williston is paying $20 an hour. A reasonable apartment in Williston will cost you anywhere from $600-$1,000 bucks a month depending if you want underground parking or a washer/dryer in the unit. About the same, a little cheaper honestly, as what I'm paying in Bismarck ND where the wages are much lower. Either way, it's not about cost of living. It's the fact that Walmart [i]can[/i] pay those wages and still operate well above their bottom line.[/QUOTE] 19 bucks an hour for TLE slavery? I'd.....probably pick up the vest-of-shame again if they'd pay me that. Well, and give me any OT I got. And, hell, 17.60/hr for meat department? That's where I was when I left WM and I was only getting 11.50... I'd probably force their hand on the OT, too, by being 'Ok, look, I'm not going to leave 3 hours early every end-of-work-week just so you don't have to pay out more than 40 hours. You want this shit done before I leave you're gonna have to give me the time-and-a-half I rightfully earn. If you don't want to do that I'm leaving at my scheduled leave time every night regardless of how done I actually am'.

[QUOTE=Reagy;53044424]Feel for everyone who got shafted by this, Walmart is scummy and even over here their level of dirty tactics plays into Asda which is basically the UK's Walmart. You will be scared to see what they do with their contracts to make sure they sit on the edge of being legal.[/QUOTE] They are paying the laid off employees for 60 days and making them eligible for transfer. If that's scummy, then what do you expect them to do?