Wal-Mart store tells workers to be ready to work any shift


NITRO, W.Va. (AP) — Workers at a West Virginia Wal-Mart (WMT) store have been ordered to be available to work any shift at any time or face dismissal.

The new "open-availability" policy at the Wal-Mart store in Nitro is needed to ensure there is adequate staff during peak hours, said John Knuckles, a manager at the store.

"We have many people with set schedules who aren't here when we need them for our customers," Knuckles said.

"It is to take care of the customers, that's the only reason."

Workers who cannot commit to being available for any shift between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week, will be fired by the end of this week. The store employs more than 400 workers.

"It shouldn't cause any problem, if they are concerned about their customers," Knuckles said.

Wal-Mart corporate spokesman Dan Fogelman said other stores have such rules.

"This is something that is done throughout Wal-Mart stores," Fogelman said. "The reality of retail is that our busiest times are evenings and weekends, so it only makes sense that we have higher staffing levels at those times."

Workers who are fired because they cannot meet the new requirement likely will qualify for unemployment benefits, said David McMahon with Legal Aid of West Virginia.

"If these people lose their jobs through no fault of their own, as a general rule they will be eligible for unemployment benefits," McMahon said Wednesday.

A union spokesman criticized the policy at the non-union retailer's store.

"This is a chilling new direction for Wal-Mart," said Chris Kofinis, communications adviser for Wake Up Wal-Mart, a promotional campaign financed by the United Food and Commercial Workers union. "It shows that when you work at Wal-Mart, you can neither afford a decent standard of life or even have a life."