Wal-Mart to pay $33 million in back wages

This was due to the incorrect mechanism walmart had for counting overtime and missed breaks. These are serious violations from the biggest private employer in US. Walmart agreed to pay the sum after many lawsuits were brought against it. I think this was not just an error on part of walmart but a widespread policy which walmart had which violated labor standards. To avoid this in future and so that corporations learn walmart should be fined heavily, otherwise corporations will continue these policies in hope that nobody catches them and the cost of being caught is not huge as they just have to pay the salary which was anyway due.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=WMT:US&sid=avnZRDjVKWOk

Walmart - Health Insurance for employees

Some important things to note:

"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. released health insurance enrollment rates for its employees Thursday, highlighting that more than 90 percent of its workforce is insured.

At the same time, the nation's largest private employer, based in Bentonville, Ark., also noted that less than half of its 1.3 million workers -- 47.4 percent -- are enrolled in Wal-Mart's own health program, despite recent changes that offer broader eligibility and low-cost policies.

More than 22 percent of Wal-Mart employees get their health care through their spouse's employer, 8.7 percent are covered through government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid or the military, and nearly 10 percent go without any health insurance, based on the fall 2006 enrollment period."

"Wal-Mart's employee enrollment figures buck national averages, which show upward of 84 percent of employees accept coverage offered by their employers."

"The company has seen employee enrollment rates increase from 41 percent in 2004 to 43 percent in 2005 t0 46 percent in 2006. In the past year, enrollment increased just over one percentage point."

The thing to note is that last year walmart after lot of media backlash intorduced new plans which were advertised as far better, but they increased coverage by only 1% - shows the rhetoric of Walmart. And also depicits the point that even after media pressure without regulation corporations on their own wont do anything which seriously impacts their bottom line.

Article:
Most workers at Wal-Mart insured; half avoid its plan
Many get health coverage through spouse or government, but nearly 10% go without it

New Worker Scheduling at Walmart - Another way to exploit workers and be more "efficient"

WSJ in an article described the new worker scheduling system which walmart will roll out in all its stores this year. The new computerized system schedules workers based on number of customers in store, receipts from counter, past record and such parameters as loading time for stock etc. This system will lead to unpredictable schedules for workers and they would be asked to be on hold at various times and if system demands they would be on work. This makes workers life a hell as they dont know at what times they will work and schedule for picking up kids, doing other chores goes berserik. This system will also help in not scheduling more hours for part time workers who are reaching full time status as that rquires walmart to provide more benefits. Also current full time workers will be asked to work at random points making life difficult for them and forcing them to leave. (Full time have to be paid more benefits but dont have very high productivity as compared to part timers according to walmart. So the company prefers part time employees).

This will lead to increased efficiency for walmart customers and the managers. But what about workers?. They are not unionized and organized so its easy for Walmart to get these draconion rules through. Walmart has feverntly opposed any form of unionization in its stores and infact closed stores where it was threatened with unions. Another example of corporate explotation without concern for employees for more "efficiency" aka profits.