Warehouse Workers for Justice
  • About
    • Who We Are
  • What We Do
    • Organize
    • Enforce
    • Lead
    • Win
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Know Your Rights >
      • Your Money
      • Your Voice
      • Staffing Agencies
      • Sexual Harassment
      • Background Checks
    • The Warehouses >
      • Warehouse Work
      • The Employment Structure
      • The Chicago Distribution Hub
    • Tenant Resource Center
    • Research
  • Take Action
    • Join Our Mailing List
    • Become a WWJ Member
    • Get Help
    • Support Our Work
    • Join Our Team

Open Letter to Walmart: Hire Back Black Warehouse Workers with Criminal Backgrounds at Your Largest North American Warehouse

6/19/2019

 
June 19th, 2019

Greg Foran
President and CEO
Walmart U.S.

Dear Mr. Foran,

This Juneteenth, community leaders, elected officials, religious leaders and labor leaders are urging you to rehire hundreds of predominantly Black warehouse workers who were formerly employed by Schneider Logistics at your largest warehouse in the country in Elwood, Illinois.

Many of the workers at your warehouse worked for years at your facility, loading and unloading trucks, moving your merchandize, keeping track of your products and making sure customers always got their products in time. Your workforce was hard working, loyal and took pride in their jobs. After you “in-sourced” your workforce you told predominantly black workers they would not be hired because of criminal backgrounds. Not only did these hundreds of workers lose their jobs, they lost out on raises and benefits you were giving to employees.

According to the Bureau of Justice’s statistics, 2.2 million people were in jail in the United States in 2018, making the country the largest jailer in the world, both in total size and per population. While 8% of the total population has had a felony, 33% of black males have some form of felony. These kind of criminal records create barriers for all with criminal record, but disproportionately hurt black workers. Whether it’s the intent or not, your decision hurt the black community. Further, your decision happened during a time when Illinois recently legalized marijuana. This was done partially to alleviate the problem of criminalization of the black community. Throughout our society, there are deep conversations about race and criminalization and whether our justice system has been too punitive towards citizens, especially people of color.

That’s why it’s so disappointing that you took actions that cost hundreds of worker their jobs. However, it’s not too late and you can do the following to address workers issues.

We Demand the Following:

  1. Rehire all workers who want their jobs back, with back pay and with the raises and benefits promised to them. This includes no cutting of wages for former employees
  2. Compensation of a year’s pay for those who do not want their jobs back
  3. An apology to all workers affected and a commitment to not enact a policy like this again.

Sincerely,

Warehouse Workers for Justice
Walmart Workers for Justice
Mark Balentine, Former Walmart/Schneider Employee, 3 years
Laseant Sardin, Former Walmart/Schneider Employee, 2 years
Doane Amerson, Former Walmart/Schneider Employee, 2 years
Gerome Waller, Former Walmart/Schneider Employee, 8 months
Matthew Metts, Former Walmart/Schneider Employee, 2 years
Robert Jackson, Former Walmart/Schneider Employee, 2 ½ years
Robert Peters, Illinois State Senator, 13th District
Aaron Ortiz, Illinois State Representative, 1st District
Alma Anaya, Cook County Commissioner, 7th District
Jackie Traynere, Will County Board, 4th District
Rachel Ventura, Will County Board, 9th District
Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez, 33rd Ward
Dr. Robert C Jones Jr., Pastor, Mt Carmel Missionary Baptist Church
Melissa Brice, Founder 350 Chicago
Larry Coble, Vice President, Board of Directors, 350 Chicago
350 Chicago
About Face: Veterans Against War
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308
ARISE Chicago
Centro De Trabajadores Unidos (CTU)
Chicago Community and Workers Rights
Chicago Jobs With Justice
Chicago Workers Collaborative
Farmworker Association of Florida
Fair World Project
Federation Du Commerce
Food Chain Workers Alliance
Food and Water Watch
Grassroots Collaborative
Greater Chicago Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
International Labor Rights Forum
Just Say No To Northpoint
Justice is Global
Laundry Workers Center New York City/New Jersey
Latino Union
Migrant Justice
Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights
Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church- Chicago
Our Revolution National
Organizations United for Respect (OUR)
Partnership for Working Families
Pioneer Valley Workers Center
Raise The Floor Alliance
Restaurant Opportunities Center- Chicago
Sierra Club Illinois
Shriver Center on Poverty Law
Street Vendors Project
Unite25
United Electrical Workers (UE) Western Region
United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881 (UFCW)
United Working Families (UWF)
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Workers Rights Board-Chicago


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    June 2019
    May 2018
    October 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016


    WWJ News from 2016 and before can be read here:

    OLDER WWJ NEWS

Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

© 2017 Warehouse Workers Justice Center
  • About
    • Who We Are
  • What We Do
    • Organize
    • Enforce
    • Lead
    • Win
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Know Your Rights >
      • Your Money
      • Your Voice
      • Staffing Agencies
      • Sexual Harassment
      • Background Checks
    • The Warehouses >
      • Warehouse Work
      • The Employment Structure
      • The Chicago Distribution Hub
    • Tenant Resource Center
    • Research
  • Take Action
    • Join Our Mailing List
    • Become a WWJ Member
    • Get Help
    • Support Our Work
    • Join Our Team