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What Does Wal-Mart Have Against Lunch?

Target: Lee Scott, CEO, Wal-mart Inc.
Sponsored by: Wal-Mart Watch

At Wal-Mart, not only is there no such thing as a free lunch, allegedly, there's no lunch at all. ThatĀ’s why Wal-Mart is back in court. This time, the worldĀ’s largest retailer is accused of denying thousands of workers' lunch breaks that are required by law.

The case concerns a California law requiring that workers receive a 30-minute, unpaid lunch break if they work at least six hours. If they do not get it, the employer is obligated to compensate them with an additional hour of pay. The lawsuit covers 116,000 former and current Wal-Mart employees in California, who are owed more than $66 million in back-pay plus interest for unpaid work during lunch.

Even though Wal-MartĀ’s own internal study back in 2000 showed that denial of lunch breaks was a Ā“a chronic problemĀ” at its stores, Wal-Mart still denies that it systematically broke the law and has fought to keep the suit out of court for the past four years!

When will Wal-Mart learn that treating workers fairly doesnĀ’t come at the expense of corporate profits? After all, workers who are treated with respect are more loyal to their employers and work harder too.

Demand that Wal-Mart take immediate steps to end these alleged workplace abuses!

deadline: 9-28-2006
goal: 11,000

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Dear Mr. Scott,

I am writing to express my concern over the allegations Wal-Mart faces regarding its denial of lunch breaks to employees in accordance with California state law.

California law requires that employees who work at least six hours a day receive a 30-minute, unpaid lunch break. If they do not receive it, employees must be compensated with an additional hour of pay. Based on the evidence presented by the plaintiffs, it appears that violations of this law have been systematic and widespread at Wal-Mart stores. Moreover, I am troubled by the disclosure that your company’s management was aware of these violations as far back as 2000 and failed to act to remedy the situation.

As the largest corporation in the world and America’s largest private employer, you have an obligation to address these serious accusations. I strongly believe that treating workers fairly doesn’t come at the expense of productivity and corporate profits. After all, workers who are treated with respect are more loyal to their employers and work harder too.

It’s time for Wal-Mart to start living up to its promise as a model employer for America. I urge you to take immediate steps to end systematic discrimination against workers at Wal-Mart stores.

Sincerely,
[your name]

We signed the “What Does Wal-Mart Have Against Lunch?” petition!

# 12,457:

7:53 pm PDT, Apr 19, Sarah Fe, Texas

# 12,456:

9:49 pm PDT, Apr 12, Name not displayed, New York

# 12,455:

2:00 am PDT, Mar 30, Can Atik, Turkey

# 12,454:

9:25 am PDT, Mar 22, Art Deco, Maine

# 12,453:

12:38 am PDT, Mar 15, Shannon Sultan, Wisconsin

# 12,452:

2:06 pm PST, Mar 7, Maria Sebelist, Pennsylvania

# 12,451:

5:45 pm PST, Feb 17, Laura Zanoli, Italy

# 12,450:

8:47 pm PST, Feb 16, Michelle Matthews, Tennessee

# 12,449:

1:52 pm PST, Feb 15, Tiffany Booth, Texas

# 12,448:

12:29 pm PST, Feb 13, Ginger Geronimo, Alabama
Wal-Mart, what is the big deal about someone taking 30 minutes to eat for crying out loud??? How do you think people feel when they are starving & aren't allowed to have anything to eat & are forced to keep working? People need to have food, especially people with health issues. If someone goes for so long without food, they'll start to feel dizzy & they may pass out. How do you expect people to work when they are lightheaded & passing out all over the floor???

# 12,447:

7:52 pm PST, Feb 1, Elena Marschino, New York

# 12,446:

2:54 pm PST, Jan 6, Name not displayed, Colorado

# 12,445:

7:18 pm PST, Dec 26, Chris Kuhar, Virginia

# 12,443:

9:28 pm PST, Dec 21, Name not displayed, Texas

# 12,442:

6:12 pm PST, Dec 19, Name not displayed, Texas

# 12,441:

5:31 pm PST, Nov 21, Eva Lockery, Idaho
For Wal-mart making a million dollars every minute. Is it really going to hurt for someone to take a lunch break? The wrong people have too much power.

# 12,440:

12:18 am PDT, Nov 2, Tiffany Meininger, Nebraska
Thank God I don't work or shop @ Walmart. This is the most inhumane copany I have ever known. They have more lawsuits than any other organization. The treat their employees worse than slaves. This company is nothing more than money hungry dictators!!! GO TARGET!! WE LOVE TARGET!!!!!

# 12,439:

5:58 pm PDT, Oct 29, Eric Hill, Washington

# 12,438:

11:06 am PDT, Oct 16, Name not displayed, Missouri
Quit enriching yourselves on the backs of your employees! For better or worse, Wal-Mart is the face of American business in the eyes of the rest of the world. Couple that with our ill-advised foreign policy and it's a wonder we can even travel to Canada safely.

# 12,437:

1:25 pm PDT, Oct 12, Misti Manns, Illinois

# 12,436:

3:13 pm PDT, Oct 10, C. Romanelli, Illinois

# 12,435:

2:54 am PDT, Sep 28, Laurel Burns, Maine

# 12,434:

9:24 pm PDT, Sep 27, Jason Massey, North Carolina

# 12,433:

7:49 pm PDT, Sep 17, Kyna Crain, Montana

# 12,432:

2:00 pm PDT, Sep 16, Victoria Mroczkowski, Florida

# 12,431:

6:49 pm PDT, Sep 14, Karen Gray, Indiana

# 12,430:

12:34 pm PDT, Sep 12, Chris Anas, California

# 12,429:

12:19 am PDT, Sep 11, Name not displayed, California

# 12,428:

1:01 pm PDT, Sep 10, Dogan Ozkan, Turkey

# 12,427:

12:13 pm PDT, Sep 8, BiLL Fowlie, Maine

# 12,426:

10:30 am PDT, Sep 7, Margaret Gotsch, New York

# 12,425:

8:56 pm PDT, Aug 17, Patricia Osborne, New York

# 12,424:

8:26 pm PDT, Aug 10, Erica Marvin, California

# 12,423:

10:52 am PDT, Aug 8, Natalie Perry, Kansas

# 12,422:

2:29 pm PDT, Aug 3, Gene Vereen, South Carolina

# 12,421:

6:17 am PDT, Aug 1, Polly Odyssey, Missouri
Why wouldn't they give the workers lunch? They need energy to work

# 12,420:

8:06 pm PDT, Jul 23, Dana Szemereta, North Carolina

# 12,419:

6:54 pm PDT, Jul 11, Stephanie Bates, Michigan

# 12,418:

7:43 pm PDT, Jul 10, Pauline Houzard, Guadeloupe

# 12,417:

11:03 am PDT, Jun 29, Amanda Cromwell, Illinois
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no0WqYWdH74

# 12,416:

8:26 am PDT, Jun 14, Hazel Matich, Illinois

# 12,415:

10:19 pm PDT, Jun 12, Name not displayed, Japan

# 12,414:

4:45 am PDT, Jun 10, Cindy Bushway, Florida

# 12,413:

3:29 am PDT, Jun 6, Sherry Horne Taylor, North Carolina
STAND UP AND DO SOMETHING DECENT FOR THE FOLKS WHO MAKE YOU THE LARGEST RETAILER IN THE WORLD. YOUR REPUTATION 'SUCKS' WORLDWIDE. THIS IS SUCH A RIDICULOUS USE OF POWER AND A MISMANGEMENT OF POWER. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE ARE, IF THEY ARE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND DECENCY?

# 12,412:

2:33 pm PDT, Jun 2, Debbie J Pruiett, Georgia

# 12,411:

8:11 am PDT, May 30, William Harper, Georgia

# 12,410:

4:05 pm PDT, May 29, Malissa Romero, Arizona

# 12,409:

6:33 pm PDT, May 27, Erika Stone, Virginia

# 12,408:

6:12 pm PDT, May 27, Jeanne Austin, Pennsylvania

# 12,407:

10:29 pm PDT, May 26, Karen Stillwell, Tennessee

# 12,406:

7:28 am PDT, May 16, Kelsey Barosay, Georgia

# 12,405:

9:41 pm PDT, May 13, Name not displayed, Minnesota

# 12,404:

6:35 am PDT, Apr 29, TAYLOR WEIDNER, Colorado

# 12,403:

6:54 pm PDT, Apr 19, Melissa Bardwell, Washington

# 12,402:

8:14 am PDT, Apr 14, Nicky Elizabeth, Maine

# 12,401:

7:33 pm PDT, Apr 13, Victoria Thomas, Wyoming

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What Does Wal-Mart Have Against Lunch?

This petition has been closed.