This is a soapbox where people across our nation can talk politics and policy. The views expressed here aren't necessarily representative of MomsRising policy positions or active campaigns.  Have a blog you'd like to crosspost?  Check out our blog resource page

Update!  National press conference and days of action hosted by Wake Up Walmart
(2/23/10 by Katie)

Our partners at Wake Up Walmart are hosting national press conference on the 24th as the launch to a week of action about Walmart's sick days policy. If you'd like get connected with a local event in your area, please contact Taylor Leake at Taylor@WakeUpWalmart.com

Crosspost: "Wal-Mart: Save Money, Live Sicker?"
(1/25/10 by Katie)

If you shop at Wal-Mart, you may be coming home with more than a good deal–you might be exposed to contagious illnesses like colds and the flu.

Why? As the New York Times recently reported, employees receive demerits, lose pay, and ultimately risk termination for taking sick days. [Read full post]

Crosspost: "Shop Wal-Mart, Get...Sick?"
(12/17/09 by Katie) 

If you shop at Wal-Mart to finish up that last bit of holiday shopping this week, you may be coming home with more than a good deal–you might be exposed to contagious illnesses like colds and the flu. [Read full post]

Crosspost: "Wal-Mart's Demerit Policy Makes Me Sick"
(12/16/09 by National Partnership for Women and Families)

Given the recent news about Wal-Mart’s sick days policy, we all may want to think twice about shopping there this holiday season—which regrettably overlaps with cold and flu season. ... [Read full post]

Crosspost: "From MomsRising: Demerit Walmart"
(12/16/2009 by msladydeborah)

I received this information from Moms Rising regarding Wal Mart's practices towards employees.
This holiday season, millions of Wal-Mart employees are living in fear of getting demerits, losing pay, or being fired simply because they take sick days [1]. It happened to this family...
[Read full post]

Crosspost: "Tuesday Morning Open Thread"
(12/15/09 by Elisa)

And once again, MomsRising.org is cleverly going after Wal-Mart for giving its employees demerit points for calling in sick. Make sure to click on the link to give Wal-Mart a demerit badge. ... [Read full post]

Crosspost: "Demerit Walmart!"
(12/14/09 by Walmart Watch)

According to the New York Times, Walmart gives employees “demerits” that can lead to termination if they call in sick! We think the real demerits should go to Walmart for their bad sick days policy, which risks making the public sick and their employees sicker. ...[Read full post]

Comment: " I work with pediatric patients..."
(12/14/09 by MomsRising.org)

Health professionals have an important perspective with their front-line experience in preventing the spread of illness.  This comment came in through our petition:

Since I work with pediatric patients, every day I see kids who are left alone, scared, in the hospital, because their parents aren't granted sick days and they fear missing work to lose insurance; or if they lack that, they fear losing their job and being unable to afford the care that their child's life depends on... Particularly in this era, where diseases like H1N1 are spread rampantly, when people do not stay home (despite CDC recommendations), because of fear of job loss or lack of pay due to no sick day benefits, it becomes imperative that paid sick days are granted to all working people.

Have you been told to stay home due to illness by a health professional?  Were you able to follow doctor's orders? Tell us about it in the comment box to the right side of this webpage.

Crosspost: "Demerit Walmart!"
(12/14/09 by Wake Up Walmart)

According to the New York Times, Walmart gives employees “demerits” that can lead to termination if they call in sick! We think the real demerits should go to Walmart for their bad sick days policy, which risks making the public sick and their employees sicker. ...[Read full post]

Crosspost: "Wallmart: Save money, live sicker"
(12/14/09 by DonVila)

If you shop at Wal-Mart to finish up that last bit of holiday shopping this week, you may be coming home with more than a good deal--you might be exposed to contagious illnesses like colds and the flu. ...[Read full post]

Crosspost: "Shop WalMart, Get...Sick?"
(12/14/09 by Morganna)

This is a truly terrible policy on the part of WalMart. In fact, a few months ago, a doctor at a local urgent care clinic told me not to shop at WalMart if I was worried about catching the swine flu, or for that matter, any other illness. ...[Read full post]

Crosspost: "Give Walmart a Demerit Badge"
(12/14/09 by CourtnaySB)

I’ve never been a fan of Wal-Mart. Besides the unpleasant atmosphere and the unsavory clientele, I haven’t wanted to shop there since I read Barbara’s Ehrenreich’s excellent and heart-breaking account ...[Read full post]

Comment: "As a Human Resources Specialist..."
(12/14/09 by MomsRising.org)

This comment, from a member in Colorado, caught our eye today:

As a Human Resources Specialist, I find this policy alarming and unnecessary. Give your employees plenty of sick days and you will have higher morale and a safer environment for all who shop at your stores.

What do you think?  Do sick days help you at your job? As a manager or business owner, do you benefit by allowing employees to earn sick days?  Tell us about it in the comment box to the right side of this webpage.

Crosspost: "Give Walmart a Demerit Badge!"
(12/13/09 by Jonathan)

We’ve been over this before, but this is a nice summary. The only explanation for Walmart’s sick sick day policy is that they don’t care about labor turnover. [Read full post.]

Crosspost: "Demerits For Walmart’s Sick Leave Policy"
(12/13/09 by TechnoEarthMama)

I’ve written before about Why I Really Don’t Do Walmart (and many people commented). Here’s another reason: poor sick leave policy...[Read full post]

 

Testimonial: "They tried to fire me"
(12/13/09 by MomsRising.org)

We just received this story from a MomsRising member on a petition:

I currently work for Walmart. Im a single mom raising a toddler and he got pneumonia. I had to miss a couple days because of that and followed all walmarts procedures and policies and still they tried to fire me...
--MomsRising member

What do you think? Wal-Mart's practices hurt women.
(12/12/09 by MomsRising.org)

Women comprise 72 percent of Wal-Mart's workforce. As Gloria Steinem said earlier this year: "The fact is that women need [access to paid sick days] more than anyone else. Women still have so much more family responsibility than men..." The increased responsibilities for caregiving that women carry mean that women are more likely to be at risk for punishment and termination under bad policies and practices.

What do you think?  Share your thoughts about this issue, or just your thoughts about the campaign, in the box to the right of this page.

Testimonial: "This is just wrong"
(12/11/09 by MomsRising.org)

This story came in from a MomsRising member via a petition: 

My husband just got fired for missing sick days. He missed 5 1/2 days in 6 months. He missed two days in July with a doctor's excuse, 1 day that he woke up with severe pain in his head and wen to the doctor (sinus infection), and 1 1/2 days with the flu (an assistant manager asked if he was sick and said that he should probably go home..he did for the half day and called in the next day. He worked for about a month after that including working at 4:30AM on Black Friday. The day after Black Friday, he worked about 2 hours, and they called him in and fired him for missing too many days in 6 months. He did not take off "weekends, sunny days, or go fishing"..he was sick. This is just wrong. The people in the deli go in sick. They have gloves, but are coughing over the food. One girl was so sick, she was put into another department away from the food for a while, but she still worked. This is just wrong.
--MomsRising member

Crosspost: Walmart Spreading the Flu: Sick days = demerits (and potential job loss)
(11/12/09 by non-toxickids.net)

Another reason to avoid Walmart! I know they are developing sustainability standards (that you have to pay thousands of dollars to have input on), but they are encouraging sick employees to work at their stores. [Read full post]