Yeah, I know my English probably leaves a little to be desired. But right now I am dog tired; dog tired from being on my sore feet for eight hours a day; dog tired of my aching back from moving huge fixtures all day that’s requiring me to gobble aspirin; dog tired of making the paltry amount of money paid to do so; dog tired after hearing story after story of those of my new workmates. WalMart is doing an interior store remodel, which doesn’t actually involve any actual construction except for replacing flooring and remodeling bathrooms. The rest involves building new fixtures, moving departments to other parts of the store and generally projecting a rejuvenated look. For this undertaking they have been hiring 70 of us to work three shifts. I will say a lot in WalMart’s defense about their willingness to hire, without discrimination, probably the broadest spectrum of people I have ever worked with. We have the young, the really young; old, really old; all colors, all nationalities that exist within this small coastal community; all sexual orientations (since they seem really forthright to proclaim it) and those with what is normally thought of as handicap. Actually, WalMart in this town, is likely the area’s largest employer.
With such an array of representative Americans, I have started talking to my fellow workmates since I was hearing smatterings of conversation alluding to “layoffs.” I would venture to say out of our 70, probably at least 3/4s of the workers here have recently, or not so recently, been laid off by other employers. So yeah Media, tell us about how this recovery is doing so great and we’re going to pull out of this mess soon.
There’s J, who just moved from Vancouver, WA with an unemployed husband, a 3 year old, and an 8 month old; home to be closer to family so her parents could help watch the kids after she was laid off in January after 7 years with a car dealership making twice the money with benefits. There’s K; probably about my age who worked real estate and property management for years when the company he was working for went out of business and changed hands. Given the economy he decided to bail rather than work for a Broker he didn’t care for. There is a gal who is turning 40 this week with a personality brash, bigger-than-life-in-your-face, who has worked retail for twenty years in southern CA but more recently debt consolidation, who has moved here to bunk with friends as her last resort. There are several from the local call center, who as an employer has beat these poor souls into a pulp and tossed them out because they weren’t able to make their time number when answering all you who call in on Sprint to complain about tech problems or questions. The attrition there is numbered in just months. There is K, a computer tech, who has a physical disability which makes walking very difficult, laid off without notice a few months ago. When I noted that there probably wasn’t much opportunity in a town like this for computer tech he nodded acknowledgement. Then in the very next breath, he added he didn’t have money to move, anywhere. He can’t leave town so is now stuck with what he can find. He’s young and a big bear of a man and it broke my heart to watch him admit in effect, that right now, there is no future for him.
For those of you reading this, I want you to think for a moment about what that means. Here is someone so broke, depending literally on paycheck to paycheck to eat, that he has no options. This is a bright young man; America’s future. How many of you have ever been in that position? I’m talking NO OPTIONS.
I guess I was always lucky; if I didn’t have it myself, I admittedly and unabashedly, used my parents for a bank. When I had a job I just couldn’t stand and told a boss off and said “I quit” I didn’t suffer the consequences. I borrowed money, moved on, got a better job usually within days, and paid my parents back. The mantra my dad always taught me: “Never let an employer know how much you are hurting Kid; then they have power over you. ALWAYS be able to walk away.” The young people I am surrounded with now don’t have that option; their parents don’t have money either.
These people have spouses, they have children, they have (some of them) homes with mortgages or else are trying to own their own home—in effect, they all have stories that will wring your heart one way or another. And they all have been laid off within the past year. Believe me, unlike me, these are not adventure-seekers who quit a job at the drop of a hat because another position or another state seems “greener”. These are salt of the earth, would probably be here forever type average workers, struggling to make sense of all this and just survive.
Most don’t leave anywhere for lunch. I know because every day I walk out to the employee parking lot and sit in my car, put my seat back, take my shoes off and read. I see them sitting in the lunch room using the vending machines for chips and candy bars for lunch. Some don’t even have cars to leave; they depend upon others for rides home or walk. To a one, they are all thankful to have this job; all are hopeful they will be one of the chosen ones to remain at Walmart for the vaunted full time permanent employment that management has dangled in front of all of us new hires as a possibility.
What have we come to?
I’m part of them now. My feet hurt; my back kills me, yet I am hopeful to maybe be one of the chosen too. My husband remains unemployed for nearly ten months now; our savings account dwindles by the day and this blessed job will bring in a net of $1000/month. So, don't bash WalMart. They are saving many lives right now, literally.
Count your blessings please, if you do better than this. Hey Dad, about that loan….
