Whose Health is Wal-Mart Looking Out For?

Always Ask Questions. Always. After giving some, but not full credit to "Always Low Prices" Wal-Mart for providing increased health care coverage to its workers, I read:

Wal-Mart Memo Suggests Ways to Cut Employee Benefit Costs, by Steven Greenhouse and Michael Barbaro, NY Times: An internal memo sent to Wal-Mart's board of directors proposes numerous ways to hold down spending on health care and other benefits while seeking to minimize damage to the retailer's reputation. Among the recommendations are hiring more part-time workers and discouraging unhealthy people from working at Wal-Mart. ... the memorandum ... also recommends reducing 401(k) contributions and wooing younger, and presumably healthier, workers by offering education benefits. The memo voices concern that workers with seven years' seniority earn more than workers with one year's seniority, but are no more productive. To discourage unhealthy job applicants, [the memo] suggests that Wal-Mart arrange for "all jobs to include some physical activity (e.g., all cashiers do some cart-gathering)." ... The memo ... said that three top Wal-Mart officials ... had "received the recommendations enthusiastically."  ... The memo noted, "The least healthy, least productive associates are more satisfied with their benefits than other segments and are interested in longer careers with Wal-Mart."  ... "It will be far easier to attract and retain a healthier work force than it will be to change behavior in an existing one," the memo said. "These moves would also dissuade unhealthy people from coming to work at Wal-Mart." ...

So it appears this is about image, not worker health. Memo to self. Next time Wal-Mart does something that appears benevolent to its workers on the surface, look beneath the surface and ask why.

Comments

says...

"So it appears this is about image, not worker health."

This is about money.

Well, that and clipping employees at the seven year mark.

And...putting Hootiers girls at the front door instead of grandmother, offering you a cart.

[Mark Thoma]

"This is about money."

Agree.

[ilsm]

I do no business with WAL MART!

[David]

This is business. Business is about money - period. This is about Walmart's healthcare costs rising 15% a year for the last 3 years.

[healthcarethinktank]

Having worked claims with Wal-Marts workers' comp deparment, this is no surprise.

Get injured at Wal-mart...... get dumped.

[Don Singleton]

My response is at http://donsingleton.blogspot.com/2005/10/wal-mart-memo.html

Your Server said 'GET of source URL http://donsingleton.blogspot.com/2005/10/wal-mart-memo.html failed'

[Kathy McDonald]

I was injured on April 16, 2006 at the Wal_mart in our small town (Wiggins, Mississippi). After Wal-Mart moved in, All of the other stores (except one) closed and you have no other choice of a place to shop.

An employee was at my side and offered to send me to the hospital, by ambulance, and said "Wal-Mart will pay the medical expenses".

The employees realized that I had slipped on some window cleaner that had spilled. I refused to go to the hospital, although I was in pain, because my mother, who has elzheimers was home with my 10 month old grandnephew who was asleep.

the next morning, I called to make an appointment telling the clinic what had happened and that Wal-Mart would pay. The clerk said she would call the number I had been given by the store to verify the payment.

I then received a call from Shirley Rogers in Benton, Arkansas to say that I had not been told by anyone that Wal-Mart would pay the expenses. Shirley Rogers called the store and then called back to tell me that the ssore was mistaken and they would not pay until they saw the video to verify that the store was at fault. I asked how long would that take and she said it would be a few days. She said that I should could go to the doctor and they would reimburse me if the store was at fault.

That was the beginning of the run-around and deceptions, including waiting four weeks to tell me that I had only two more weeks to go to the doctor.

I went to the doctors within the given time and paid $500. deposit on the MRI's needed.

It is hard to get an attorney in Mississippi since the storm and she said that they could settle the claim without an attorney.

She called again to ask me if I had seen a doctor. I said "yes" shen then told me that, they did not have to pay me anything because I did not follow the AMA's guidelines for the timeframe in which I had to complete my treatment. This is July 24, 2006.

I is very clear that Wal-Mart has no interest or concern for injuries to customers or employees and people like Shirley Rogers are trained an paid to give you the run-around and lie and manipulate on behalf or Wal-Mart so that the largest cooperation in the world does not had to take responsibility for injuries on thir properties.