mamadeb

Two weeks ago, my brother, who did web management at the New Mexico Distribution center for WalMart (I know, but he has a family to support) was fired.

This is what happened, in his own words (and, my goodness. I swear he was an English major.)

He's asked me to spread this around, although I know most of you know about WalMart.

My issues with my General Manager began last December. Wal-Mart has a Jewish associate named A* S*. Every year he had been allowed to hang a poster of a menorah prior to Hanukkah, along with the christmas trees, Santa's, christmas cards etc. My GM took exception and had called a meeting to discuss this situation. He had it with our senior staff. I was not invited to the meeting, but happened to have stayed over in the meeting room and heard everything. The meeting started off with the managers joking about the situation and laughing about old A* and Menorahs, and his wish to have this menorah. The meeting ended with their stategy to remove the poster. I had been employed for four years at this time, and had never experienced a meeting like this before. Nor, was such deplorable behavior allowed in a meeting room. This is our third GM in four years so that explained this partially.
Well, as I am also Jewish, I took tremendous offense to this. After the meeting I spoke with a member of senior management. He, at first, did not agree with me, but later told me that he understood why I thought this was discriminatory, and not only breaking my rights but especially A*.
From that point forward my relationship with my GM went sour. He became threatening, abusive, and discriminatory. Everything from putting me in seperate quarters during a convention in Tennessee, to denying me the same basic Wal-Mart rights such as the Open Door. He even verbally threatened me in front of my associates, calling me out. Now, since GM's come and go, I kept a low profile. Since most of senior staff was obviously anti-semetic, there was not much I thought I could do without losing my job.
Well, my GM terminated me anyway. It was a trumped up charge of mis-appropriating a laptop. This laptop had been around for years, in different manager's hands. I had permission, irregardless. What is so significant is that I was the only one punished for this laptop, and the other managers were completely held un-accountable.
Wal-Mart is happy to sell Menorahs and kosher foods, etc, but it is a different story in their workplace. They ruined my reputation with their false charges, and, since I live in a small town life has grown uncomfortable. I even receive harrassing phone calls at 2am. Wal-Mart is not the reputable place people believe. This same management group runs high stake poker games, and the involve other associates and minors. If you are not part of the clique you are ostracized.

He wrote this letter to a group specializing in such matters and gave me permission to post it, although I have eliminated all names.