What's the story with the Walmart layoffs over plumbing?

[malaise]

[el_bryanto]

1. Here's a story on it

Customers arriving at a Southern California Walmart were shocked and dumbfounded to find its doors closed Tuesday with signs posted on it that read: "Closed indefinitely."

Also in disbelief were the hundreds of workers who depended on the Pico Rivera superstore for jobs."I don't feel like anyone cares about what's going on with us, or our life situation, can you recommend us, so you know if they'll take us, and there's no information," said Mary Montes Martinez, a former employee.

The store on the 8500 block of Washington Boulevard closed at 2 p.m Monday to address serious plumbing problems, like persistent leaks and clogs, that resulted in over 100 incidents over the years.

A staff member told NBC4 the 500-strong workforce was laid off at the store, which they claimed is projected to be closed for six months to a year. Others claimed the move was retaliation for workers demanding better conditions and pay.

Link --> Hundreds of Workers Displaced As Plumbing Problems Close Walmart


Seems fishy to me

Bryant

[ananda]

2. Me too. Very fishy indeed.

The stink is strong.

[PoliticAverse]

3. The 'Plumbing Problem' excuse doesn't seem credible at all. n/t

[malaise]

5. It is fishy - looks like at least five stores

in different states just when corporate folks are suggesting they close some stores.

[Rex]

21. It's important early on in life, to realize most corporations view their workers as a product

that can be liquidated at a moments notice. Rare is the boss, that cares for the employee. Most only care about profit and increasing returns...the working poor are just expendable numbers.

[Bonhomme Richard]

23. Actually they are considered pure overhead the same as....

electrical cost.

[Rex]

24. True, payroll is always the biggest gripe. So much so that the day robots can do the same job

payroll becomes meaningless as does the labor force. But hey, always some floors to be swept...oh robots, right.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. by some strange coincidence,

their labor movements were growing.

Fancy that thought.

[malaise]

8. Must be Nixon's plumbers

[ChairmanAgnostic]

22. Z I N G !

For those who even know who Nixon was.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I suspect all Wal Marts are designed the same and there's a flaw in the design./NT

[FSogol]

9. They might have a prototype building, but the underground sanitary piping would be site specific.

You know what must flow downhill.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. I suspect all Wal Marts are virtually identical...

The difference is the actual contractors vary from location...

[FSogol]

12. The sanitary piping under the building (the most costly to repair) would vary from

site to site depending on the location of the city sewer, other utilities, and changes in elevation of the site. There is no way that piping could all be the same. Walmart has a prototype building which they give to local engineers who make the changes depending on site conditions and local codes. I do that type of work for some clients (not Walmart).

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. I don't believe there's something nefarious afoot, do you?

As an aside Target restrooms are much nicer and cleaner.

[FSogol]

15. I wouldn't trust Walmart. If you had to replace all the sanitary (waste/drainage) piping under the

building, you'd have to trench the concrete floor and replace. Replacing all of it could take a few months. Replacing a few runs could be done in 2-3 weeks. If you had a store that did (guessing here) 300k in sales per day, why would you close it for 6 months over a few labor problems.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. "300k in sales per day."

A few years back some guy walked out of a Orlando Wal-Mart with 250K of cash in a shopping cart...They got him on tape but I don't know if they caught him.

[malaise]

10. Could be

but why would that take six months to fix?

[FSogol]

14. That sounds like BS. Emergency plumbing repairs to almost anything in a big box store could be done

in 2 weeks with a few exceptions. Ordering new a/c equipment, switchgear, or emergency generators could take 4-8 weeks. A company the size of Walmart could make it happen much faster.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. If there is something afoot you would think we would hear from their large shareholders...

Interesting...

[LanternWaste]

20. Store layouts are different dependent on location, size, local conditions, rural v. urban, pop. dens

Store layouts are different dependent on location, size, local conditions, rural v. urban, pop. density, etc.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. I suspect all Wal Marts are designed the same and there's a flaw in the design./NT

[Aerows]

18. I call BS

They built a Wal-mart from the ground UP in 4 1/2 months after the previous one was wiped out in Katrina.

I have a few theories. There are several plausible reasons for them getting closed down, but none of them have a damn thing to do with plumbing problems.

[LanternWaste]

19. My imagination and knowledge of WalMart's anti-union practices

My imagination and knowledge of WalMart's anti-union practices is tickling me with the premise made yesterday on DU that the stores suddenly closing are the stores which have been identified as potential targets to be unionized.

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. Well, then we have a brilliant workable plan.

Let the unionizing efforts spread to other Wal-Marts, and eventually they will all be closed!