35 Weeks Gestation And Back Pain

Interview with Sthepanie Odle, driving suit against WalMart

The U.S. situation Sthepanie Odle was very difficult from the start working at a chain store WalMart in Texas, in 1991, up the steps of Washington Supreme Court . On the way, this 39 year old single mother recounts comments have suffered embarrassing, demeaning and humiliating situations macho, until being fired in 1999, when he was offered his job to a man.

then, Sthepanie had two options: the easy way BUsing was resigned and another job elsewhere. The difficult, which was finally chosen was stand up to WalMart. She began her struggle alone against the country's largest employer. But tenacious Stephanie was not intimidated, he sought other applicants and made his own in the largest class-action lawsuit in the country, representing 1.5 million women under a heavy glass ceiling.

"You know how many as you denounce us annually?". That was the reaction of one of his bosses in 1999 when he announced he would take the company to court. Stephanie held the position of deputy chief of marketing for department stores Sam's Club wholesale of Lubbock in Texas owned by WalMart. To buy in this Club requerría that customers have their membership cards. In 1999, the shop issued a new type of elite card, the card more expensive than normal. Stephanie gave a demonstration to their employees on how to offer it to customers and used this card for one of the workers, Keith Musick. It turns out that for this, he complained to management, which served

reason to fire her. "Violation of company policy," he told his boss, Duke Parrish manager.

"The problem is that I learned just that day, thanks to a colleague who worked in Arizona, the day before I commit the alleged violation of company policy, had left Sam's Club in Phoenix, Arizona, a man, Wayne Backus, who had announced their co-workers who had offered him my place in Texas, "recalls Stephanie. "I know they fired me for being a woman, I said goodbye because they do not tolerate discrimination against me or other women, because I asked to be considered for the post of manager on several occasions, she was a woman who asked what he thought was right in a world controlled by men. "

On Tuesday, Stephanie went to the doors of the Supreme Court of Washington, with her daughter Sidney, now 14, but at two in the morning. " wanted my daughter could get a seat on the court to attend this hearing. Because when this case began, Sidney was 3. Largely decided denounce WalMart to change things so that my daughter and her generation have to suffer what the women of my generation have suffered in the workplace " Stephanie explains. The nine Supreme Court judges, including for the first time, three women, must decide by June whether the complaint is viable.

In October 1999, Sthepanie filed a discrimination complaint gender before the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity Federal Government. then contacted with two New Mexico lawyers with experience in similar cases. They advised him to turn the collective lawsuit.

looked to other affected and, together with five other employees of the company, Wal-Mart sued in federal court in California in June 2001. Now represents Stephanie 1.5 million women who work or have worked for the company, which is to be 0.5% of the U.S. population.

From the beginning to the post of part-time cashier in 1991, she suffered numerous cases of discrimination. E n 1994, when asked for a slight increase in salary for two subordinate paid less than their male colleagues, her boss told her that "Women already charge enough."

In 1996, when he was transferred to a shop in Riverside, California, discovered that a man who held a position identical to that earned him $ 10,000 (7,400 euros) more per year. "Because he has a family that maintained," said his boss. "I'm going to have a child," she said. The manager did submit a budget of monthly personal expenses and granted an annual increase of $ 2,000. " Still charged $ 8,000 less than my partner. It was very humiliating "he says.

After being fired, also suffered pressure on other jobs for their complaint. When they saw on television, her bosses were trying with suspicion, as if they face a lawsuit in the making.

Stephanie stagnated at low-paying jobs, stuck in a dead-end street work, until finally, in 2005 set up his own business of food prepared in Oklahoma where he lives. It is her own boss and do not suffer discrimination, but still has a dream: "That women are treated with respect and dignity in U.S. companies, so that my daughter does not go through what I went through."

WalMart

- is the first retailer in the world, with 2.1 million employees and 8,968 stores.

- Annual sales: 285,000 million euros.

- is present in 15 countries as in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, UK and China.

- Whalton The family controls 45% of the company, founded in 1962. In 2009, the company earned 9,800 million euros.

(source: ELPAIS.com (David Alandete) )