Running a business in Alabama and across the nation is never easy and tough decisions sometimes need to be made. Unfortunately, some of those decisions result in employees either being marginalized or eliminated altogether. While this might seem discriminatory and warrant a business and commercial lawsuit on the part of the workers who will want to be compensated, it does not necessarily mean any wrongful acts have taken place, nor were they violations of the law. No matter the size of scope of a business, having legal assistance to defend against allegations of illegality is critical.
People who work as greeters at Walmart are complaining that their jobs are being phased out by the company and the workers are being offered other jobs. Many of the workers are disabled and cannot do certain jobs, prompting complaints about discrimination, at least one lawsuit and threats of others. Many of the greeters are suffering from conditions that make it nearly impossible for them to do other jobs. The changes began in 2016 when the company altered the responsibilities of the greeters and reclassified them as “hosts.” They had greater responsibilities than what greeters were obligated to do.
Hosts are expected to assist customers when they return items. They check customer receipts to stop theft and clean their areas. Older workers and the disabled are being impacted by the changes. These were largely unknown until recently. Since it can be harder for disabled people to find work, greeting at Walmart was a job that many could do without a problem. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been fielding complaints and a federal lawsuit was filed in Utah.
Complaints aside, the question remains as to whether there was a violation of the law or not. If the job is being phased out and the people who did that job are offered other work that they are physically unable to do, the employer has a defense against allegations of wrongdoing. When these cases are brought to the public sphere and lawsuits are filed, the employer must have legal assistance just as the plaintiffs do. Companies large and small must have a law firm that understands business and commercial cases on their side to plan a defense.
