Hundreds of workers are being laid-off at five Walmart E-commerce Fulfilment Centers.
According to a March 24 article, Reuters reports that, "Hundreds of workers at five U.S. Walmart facilities that fulfill e-commerce orders are being asked to find jobs within 90 days at other company locations, a spokesperson confirmed to Reuters.
About 200 workers at Pedricktown, New Jersey, and hundreds of others at Fort Worth, Texas; Chino, California; Davenport, Florida; and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania were let go due to a reduction or elimination in evening and weekend shifts, the spokesperson said."
What is Happening?
A Walmart statement reads,
"We recently adjusted staffing levels to better prepare for the future needs of customers."
The statement goes on to say that Walmart would work closely with the affected employees to help them find jobs at other locations. According to a Walmart representative, employees who are affected will receive payment for 90 days, while they search for employment in other locations, such as the newly established advanced e-commerce distribution centers in Joliet, Illinois, and Lancaster, Texas.
According to reuters,
"Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States with about 1.7 million U.S. workers. Apart from Pedricktown, New Jersey, Walmart did not post a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice for the layoffs, according to a Reuters review of labor government data. A WARN notice is mandated by U.S. labor law and requires companies with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days' advance notification of plant closings and mass layoffs.
Interestingly, Reuters reports that the Walmart spokesperson refused to call these 'mass' layoffs and insisted that the warehouses continued to operate normally.
What are your thoughts?
What do you think about this massive layoff? Do you think this will affect your experience at Walmart? Do you feel the company is skirting around taking responsibility by refusing to call these mass layoffs? I'd like to know to your thoughts.
Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
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