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Questions I haven't seen answered yet: * Employee gets a destination with no parking available, who gets dinged for non-delivery? * Employee gets a destinatio
by yourapostasy 9y ago
Questions I haven't seen answered yet:
* Employee gets a destination with no parking available, who gets dinged for non-delivery?
* Employee gets a destination with no parking available, but is told to double-park by local manager. Gets ticketed. Who gets dinged?
* Does this constitute a non-CDL delivery service, or courier service? Will Wal-Mart handle licensing and insurance coverage of personal employee vehicles?
* What exactly constitutes "on their way"? A block out of their way? Several kilometers out of their way?
* What guarantees are in place that the definition of "on their way" isn't expanded without due consideration in the future?
* Is the compensation piece work, or based upon time? If piece work as implied by the 10-package maximum, and an unforeseen traffic stoppage takes up employee's time, does employee have flexibility to bail on delivery and do some shopping while waiting for stoppage to clear? If there is no such flexibility, I can practically count upon the absence of "surge compensation".
* Do recipients have the option to view a picture of employee and vehicle, with map showing location as delivery draws near, ensuring security and privacy?
* Employee slips on stairs while walking down them after completing last delivery on way to their car, breaks a leg. Is this covered by worker's compensation, or is employee on their own?
* Employee is assaulted by dog/perp while making delivery. Who pays?
This is a laudable effort, I like the general idea, but this is all but guaranteed open to worker abuses in the future as management "optimizes" it, in a "pray I don't alter it further"-fashioned deal. I don't expect Wal-Mart stocker staff for example, to think of these and many other contingencies when signing up, for which they will almost certainly be hung out to dry if their number comes up.
- vkou 9y agoNow, if only there was some sort of way to force Wal-mart to answer these kinds of questions. Maybe... A union of employees, who want to understand their relationship with their employer better, and to push back on unfair parts of said relationship.
- twoquestions 9y ago> Maybe... A union of employees Wow that's a laugh! Last time I checked, even speaking the word 'union' is enough to be fired for cause at Wal-Mart. Also, most of the people who work there have few or no other options, the only thing keeping them out of company towns is what little worker protection legislation that's left.
- ythn 9y agoIf you don't understand why businesses don't like unions, you've never owned a business. Also, historically, unions in the USA for whatever reason a lot of times end up becoming mafioso (not sure if it's the same in other countries).
- rectang 9y agoYet without unions, employees are on their own to evaluate the non-obvious risks and hidden costs in deals such as this one. It's massive information asymmetry leading inevitably to exploitation; it's far from the ideal of perfect information and distorts the labor marketplace, leading to huge inefficiencies in the labor economy. We desperately need innovation in how labor unions are structured and compete with each other to reduce the drag they impose while keeping the benefit they provide.
- qmarchi 9y agoThere are (was) unions around Walmart, however, historically, they're just massive cash grabs operating in locations where unionization is favorable and can be forced.
- Splendor 9y agoI don't think anyone lacks understanding as to why businesses dislike unions.
- enraged_camel 9y agoMeh. We have unions to thank for the vast majority of workplace protections as well as things like the five-day workweek. In light of this, I'm okay with unions not being perfect.
- bjl 9y agoRight, businesses don't like unions because they decrease their power over employees. That's not a good argument against them, however. If anything, I'd say its a good argument for them.
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- joekrill 9y agoI understand the concerns. They're absolutely valid. But I suspect a huge, multinational corporation like Walmart has likely done their due-diligence here. Or maybe I'm just feeling optimistic today.
- r00fus 9y agoThis is the comment I was hoping to see. Real scenarios and issues that the hand-wavy policy doesn't make clear, and that delivery operations deal with all the time.
- heartbreak 9y agoFortunately Walmart's law firm has answers to all of those questions. And every one of them favors Walmart, because that's their job.
- larvaetron 9y ago> and an unforeseen traffic stoppage takes up employee's time, does employee have flexibility to bail on delivery and do some shopping while waiting for stoppage to clear? I wish every employer had a "traffic is hard, let's go shopping!" policy.
- Splendor 9y agoAlso: * What happens if fewer employees volunteer than is required to meet delivery demand?
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]