Black employees Sue Walmart, who claim discriminatory background control practices

Mark Balentine, a 52-year-old former employee in a distribution center that was once run by Schneider Logistics, a third-party contractor for Walmart, has filed a Class Action right case against the retail giant on 27 June.

According to In these timesThe retailer based in Arkansas has had to deal with criticism earlier For the use of warehouse purchases of external companies as tactics to undermine trade unions. Chris Williams, a lawyer at the National Legal Advocacy Network, originally the complaint submitted In 2019 with both the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. At the time, Williams estimated that Walmart’s background control may have had a negative influence on no fewer than 100 to 200 black employees.

According to a recent report from the Economic Policy Institute, the anti-worker policy of the South both Undermine the work quality And depressive employee power, in particular those of black and Latinx employees, lessons that Walmart, based in Arkansas, is probably extrapolated to other locations.

Moreover, it is notorious to prove racial discrimination in the temporary personnel sector, despite lawsuits Temp -Agency accusing discrimination Against black employees by submitting criminal background controls that other employees should not meet.

As Balentine told the Outlet, the company was disadvantaged to him. According to his complaint, dismissed employees were given “$ 250 and a piece of pizza” and they told them that they could request again within 60 days, but Balentine has the feeling that that answer is inhumane.

“They said I had to roll the dice and try it again,” said Balentine. “And I had something like:” This is my life. “

Walmart has prevented this in a statement that they released via E -mail through a spokesperson, Kory Lundberg, and said that the company has provided the ones affected by their criminal background control policy “A meaningful opportunity to place the record in context.”

Lundberg continued in the E -Mail: “Maintaining as many existing employees as possible has always been the goal of our transition to the Elwood Distribution Center, and we have held hundreds of those employees. We understand the importance of offering second opportunities and our background controls include a thoughtful and transparent assessment process to ensure that everyone is being honestly.”

According to Lundberg, some candidates with criminal registers were offered a position after a personalized assessment of their violation, “but Lundberg did not respond to the outlet investigation to clarify what he meant before their article was published.

Balentine said that his fight is not really for him, but for younger employees with criminal registers who will inevitably try to enter the workforce.

“I look forward to the person behind me, the 17-year-old who gets into trouble today and who sees what happens to me and then he concludes:” What is the point of changing? They won’t give me a chance, “Balentine said In these times.

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