Dear Walton Family:

As the wife of a former, nearly twenty year Walmart employee and the mother of another former five year Walmart employee, I felt compelled to write this letter.

My husband worked at Walmart Distribution Centers for nearly twenty years before he was fired. Apparently, while driving your precious warehouse vehicles, which he had done for the entire time he was employed with your company, there were two instances where the vehicle he was operating barely bumped another one of your precious vehicles. Each time there was no damage, no injuries and no sign that either vehicle touched.

However, due to your company policy, he was fired. That's right, nearly 20 years of being a loyal, hardworking employee for your company and helping you make money for your selfish family. The nearly 20 years of warehouse work at your facilities does not include the additional twenty years of warehouse experience and driving warehouse vehicles with two other employers. In the event you don't understand my point, he has over forty years of warehouse experience that includes driving and being licensed to operate warehouse vehicles.

Due to your push for production in the Distribution Centers, minor accidents DO happen. Some worse than others. The two incidents that my husband was involved in, according to your company policy, was grounds for termination. You based your decision on what "could" have happened, not what ACTUALLY happened. Yet, you didn't terminate other employees that actually caused damage to your property.

My husband filed for unemployment after being terminated, only to find that Walmart is now fighting the unemployment. You claim he was terminated for "Misconduct". REALLY? Misconduct? A very minor bumping of two vehicles is "Misconduct"? Do you honestly think these incidents were intentional? Would you prefer to blame him and the other driver for the incident, NOT your push for production? After all, isn't PRODUCTION more important than SAFETY? Besides, the faster your employees move, the more money they make for YOU, right? Your employees make the same amount on their paycheck, regardless of how fast they move. Your family, CEOs and some management are the only people that profit from production. The previous quarterly bonuses that you paid employees for safety and production years ago, have all but disappeared. Employees used to enjoy the additional $500.00 bonus, however, you have made that goal almost impossible to achieve. The last bonus he received was a measly $175.00.

After nearly twenty years of being a loyal, hardworking employee, you showed your appreciation by terminating him. We suspected that you didn't care about your employees a few years ago when we lost everything we owned in a house fire. When my husband called in to inform his supervisor that he would not be at work for a few days, since we lost EVERYTHING in the house fire, his supervisor told him it wouldn't be excused. When he finally convinced his supervisor that what he was saying was true, we expected that possibly Walmart would offer gift cards to help us buy clothes. Of course, that didn't happen either. When he returned to work, nothing was said to him, not even a "We're sorry to hear about the house fire." It was business as usual. We knew at that time, Walmart doesn't care about their employees.

In over forty years of being employed at warehouses, my husband has NEVER been terminated from a job...that is until Walmart. While there have been other minor incidents over the nearly twenty years, it is at this time management felt the need to fire him. You are fully aware that at his age, no one else will offer him a job. To make matters worse, you are fighting his unemployment. Your actions have made it very difficult for us to financially survive for the next few months until he can either find another job or officially retire.

The termination has stripped my husband of a little of his pride but you have also given back my husband of 34 years that I knew and loved pre-Walmart. He is no longer stressed all the time, is no longer constantly aggravated by the push from management to meet production and no longer has to look over his shoulder while working at your facility. You claim "misconduct" for his termination, I say it's age related. Afterall, you didn't fire the employees that actually damaged equipment, while operating warehouse vehicles.

My son worked in a Walmart store for nearly five years while he attended college. He moved up through the ranks quickly and became department manager. I watched him change too, not for the good. He was never allowed to work in his department as management always had other things for him to do. Making him Toy Department manager for a period of time, without any other associates to help him was a joke, especially at Christmas time. He was always pulled out of his department to cashier, CSM, unload trucks, retrieve carts from the parking lots and help in other departments. He was then reprimanded for not completing his department tasks. He was a hard worker that took pride in his work, like his father. Management made it impossible for him to do the job that he was hired to do.

Last year, when he finally had enough, he left Walmart and went to work for another retailer, where he is much happier. In nearly five years of employment at Walmart, the maximum he made was $10.60 per hour. At his current job, six months post-Walmart, he is now paid over $14.00 per hour. When he is sick or an emergency happens, his new employer does not write him up for missing work. His new employer backs him when there is an issue with a customer. His new employer appreciates his hard work and full time work actually means 40 hours per week. Overtime, is not frowned upon, but rather encouraged. In short, his new employer APPRECIATES their employees and shows it, while rewarding them. A lesson your organization could learn from.

Since my son has left Walmart, he has also returned to the son I knew and love dearly. He is no longer stressed, pressured and aggravated because he can't perform the job that he was hired to do. Most importantly, his new employer closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, so their employees can spend holidays with FAMILY. This family owned retailer does not sacrifice their employees time with their families during he holidays to pad their own pocket, unlike the Walton family.

Long story short, while you have lost two great, loyal, hardworking employees, you have given me back the husband and son that I knew pre-Walmart. Your actions have hurt us financially, but we will survive somehow. In my world, unlike yours, money isn't the most important thing in our lives.


P.S. I'm sure other retailers appreciate your tactics because they will now receive all of our business, along with many family members friends. As you continue to destroy lives with your greed, my only wish for you is KARMA!


































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