Federal Way Wal-Mart worker, former employee claim company retaliation following protest

Published 11:03 am Monday, December 14, 2015

A former Federal Way Wal-Mart worker and current employee say Wal-Mart has intimidated and retaliated against them since they recently spoke out against the company’s treatment of workers.

Former employee Mary Watkines was among 30 protestors on Dec. 5 as they held a walk-in to deliver a petition to rehire her. The petition had over 5,000 signatures.

But she was surprised to learn Wal-Mart management had called police requesting Watkines be trespassed next time she was at the store.

“I think it’s just the typical Wal-Mart,” she said in an interview. “From what I’ve heard, once again it just shows them fabricating things to get their way … Surely, I didn’t know they would trespass me but it’s just another way they are retaliating against me. It shows big corporation flexing their muscles.”

Watkines worked at the Federal Way Wal-Mart located at 1900 S. 314th St. for 15 years. During that time, she was wrongfully terminated in 2009 and was rehired after Wal-Mart admitted fault, she said.

Recently, Watkines was let go again for what she believes is a second wrongful termination.

One day, she said she was in the store on her day off when she was talking to a colleague, which was caught on video surveillance, and that colleague said she had been harassing her. This started the “paper trail” on her. In a month and a half, she had racked up three “coachings.”

She said she was terminated because she told associates about their rights.

“I worked there for 15 years and just to be railroaded because you don’t like me speaking out, informing people of their rights, safe workplace, they don’t like me asking questions [about] no food on the table and not enough pay,” she said.

Kory Lundberg, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said Watkines has “repeatedly gone into our stores to disrupt and disrespect our workers and customers.”

“Any reasonable person would agree that type of behavior is just not acceptable,” he said. “To protect the people who choose to work and shop at Wal-Mart, we are evaluating our legal options regarding her behavior.”

Lundberg added that in talking with the team, several associates voice fear and concern of the “mob” who tried to hand over the petition to reinstate Watkines.

Watkines said there was no altercation whatsoever and that when the group tried to hand over the petition, an employee wouldn’t take it and wanted them to wait until police showed up.

Eventually they gave them the petition and left.

Current employee Patricia (Pat) Scott also participated in the petition walk-in, as well as a Black Friday demonstration that included handing out $5,200 worth of food to Wal-Mart workers. Advocates claimed that amount was the daily dollar amount the CEO of Wal-Mart lives off of while Wal-Mart workers, on average, have less than $5.

However, when Scott returned to work that Monday, Nov. 30, she was given a verbal warning for soliciting at work. She had handed out 70 meal tickets to her colleagues for the “redistribution of wealth” action.

“They decided to get me that way,” Scott said, noting that management watched and gathered names of workers who attended the demonstration. “People kept coming up to me and saying ‘Pat, I would have gone down but they were watching me’ and they were scared.”

About 20 Wal-Mart workers came out to collect food on their break during that demonstration.

Lundberg said, like every business in America, Wal-Mart has policies in place to protect their workers and customers.

“Ms. Scott violated our policy against soliciting on the sales floor (something the law does not protect),” he said. “We followed the same steps and process for her as we do for any associate who violates a policy.”

Lundberg said Wal-Mart is proud of the wages and benefits package they offer associates.

“Our average full-time hourly associate earns more than $13 an hour in addition to the opportunity for quarterly cash bonuses, matching 401k and health care benefits,” he said. “Wal-Mart is investing $2.7 billion over this year and next in wages, education and training for our associates because we know they make the difference.”

Watkines said during her time at Wal-Mart she was homeless twice. Scott said she’s had to skip meals and rely on cereal for sustenance because she wasn’t given enough hours as a full-time worker. She’s worked at the company for 17 years.