Sent Out On July 23, 2009
George Boston Rhynes
Valdosta, Georgia
Wal-Mart President/CEO Doug McMillon, Walton’s Family, Board of Directors, The Walton’s Family Members
702 Southwest 8th Street
Bentonville, AR 72716
After a year Wal-Mart Stores Inc. finally responded to my (10) wrongful termination rebuttal letters concerning my termination from Wal-Mart Store #2615 on March 20, 2008 for “Inability To Perform Job.” Although I was never trained as Department Manager 9, of Sporting Goods as set forth in Wal-Mart’s own Training Guidelines.
My period of employment was from January 5, 2005 to March 20, 2008, and I received my first written response from Wal-Mart on June 22, 2009 without a signature. Needless to say I was NOT sadden, disappointed nor puzzled that America’s Largest Retail Employer (Wal-Mart) would ignore my wrongful termination for well over a year.
This Wal-Mart so called “final, complete, and thorough investigation letter” DID NOT have an authority line or signature. It consisted of 140 words, and stated that “unless I provide additional information which supports a contrary position” that their decision to uphold my termination is final, and that their letter concluded my open door and that no further action would be taken. I find this strange since Wal-Mart Failed to answer or even address a single question I asked that are similar to the ones listed below:
WAL-MART NEVER RESPONDED TO THE QUESTIONS:
a. How could a thorough investigation be conducted without one interview from the primary person involved? Was my side of the story reviewed and investigated? Did Wal-Mart provide valid responses to any of my questions in their Final Investigation letter—a year later?
b. Why no signature or authority line in Wal-Mart Letter? Is this Wal-Mart Stores Inc. way of setting the example for Wal-Mart Store Manager Hal at Wal-Mart Store #2615?
c. Who conducted Wal-Mart’s thorough investigation? Why were their names, department, and or job titles NOT included as to who conducted this alleged final and thorough Wal-Mart Investigation of my wrongful termination?
d. Why didn’t Wal-Mart Final Investigation Letter provide the necessary documents proving that I received the Wal-Mart Department 9, Managers Four Week Training as required?
e. Why did Wal-Mart NOT give the name of my trainer? What date was I entered into the “Four Week Training Program? What date was the training completed? Who signed off on, and verified the documents? Where are these documents today?
f. Does all Wal-Mart Sporting Goods Department Managers receive training in America? If so? Then why was I NOT trained? What are the criteria for being terminated at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for “Inability to Perform Job?” Who makes this decision?
g. Did Sporting Goods Associates, Former Department Manager Jody, Assistant Manager Frank, Shannon, Trina, Co-Manager Andy or Store Manager Hal give written statements that I was (EVER) trained as Department Manager?
h. Will Wal-Mart Store #2615 simply provide proof that I received the four-week training as required for all “Sporting Goods Department 9, Managers?” Then upon receipt I will IMMEDIATELY STOP all complaints and admit that I have lied “AGAINST WAL-MART”---but this you cannot do… (Store #2615).
i. Does Wal-Mart provide “On the Job Training and Evaluate Workers” once employed? Is proof of training and yearly evaluations documented, dated, signed and filed away in workers personnel file at Store #2615? (Then simply make a copy and refute my accusations).
j. Are Wal-Mart workers terminated for good cause, bad cause or for no cause at all without Wal-Mart having to provide even a courteous response to workers since Georgia is an “At Will Employment State?” Thanks to Georgia politicians that keep this unfair work law in force in the State of Georgia along with a few other remaining states?
k. Did any assistant managers and co-managers receive a written coaching for routinely leaving keys in the Security Room door, Outside Trailers or in the Sporting Goods Department Cash Register following gun sales at Store #2615? As department workers witnessed on many occasions and hand carried keys to managers may times.
l. Does Wal-Mart Stores Inc. approve of double standards for certain privileged workers in the cliques and among the slicks at Store #2615? And why are they treated differently from other workers?
m. Did my asking management to purchase proper filing cabinets to properly secure customer’s private information on completed ATF Forms 4473s justify my wrongful termination under the heading of “Inability to Perform Job?” (Firearms Back Ground Checks)
n. Why was customer’s private information not secured for over two years in an un-lockable filing cabinet practically open to the general public? Did Wal-Mart interview workers and former workers in Sporting Goods Department for verification of this federal violation? (These files (ATF Forms 4473s) were located in the black box on a pole and filed in an unlock-able filing cabinet in the Sporting Goods Department).
o. Did my repeated speaking out and encouraging management to secure Wal-Mart Customers Private DATA information (ATF Forms 4473s) from “Identity Thefts” justifies my wrongful termination under the heading of “Inability to Perform Job?”
p. What is Wal-Mart definition of “Inability to Perform Job?” Are all Wal-Mart Workers treated the same when it comes to being properly trained as a Department Manager? Does ignoring workers complaints improve workers morale, or increases sales for the company?
q. Are all Wal-Mart Workers with Wrongful Terminations complaints treated as I have from Store #2615?
r. Did Wal-Mart investigate to see if my constant requests to get assistant managers and co manager Andy to perform the Daily Audits on completed ATF Forms 4473s that went undone on one occasion for over fifteen day? Was it my repeated attempts to managers to follow store rules and guidelines contribute to my termination under the heading of “Inability to Perform Job?”
These are but a few unanswered questions that Wal-Mart Executives seemingly had no intentions of EVER answering or investigating. Moreover I contend that American Workers should NOT be treated as Workers in China or in some other third world country. It was Wal-Mart Managers that told me repeatedly. That I was wasting my time in trying to challenge Wal-Mart Iron Curtain, and that if they (managers and CSM's) provided statements on my behalf that they could be terminated. However they encouraged me to continue seeking answers to my valid questions to help remaining workers.
Therefore as a retired military veteran, former business owner, parent of three, and wrongfully terminated Sporting Goods Department Manager of Wal-Mart Store #2615. I cannot leave my Wal-Mart Family Members behind to suffer at Store #2615 and 899 in Valdosta, Georgia without reaching out to them. Your ignoring me has proven that Wal-Mart does not care about workers rights and addressing workers mistreatment in the work place.
However I am 100% sure that I will eventually win in the end----along with other Wal-Mart Workers. We can no longer afford to just bury our head in the sand like the legend concerning the ostrich bird and pretend that Wal-Mart has become “a god beside God” and answers to no one.
All Wal-Mart workers and former workers in possession of truth must inform the general public, family members, neighbors, religious organizations, friends, politicians, and others that Wal-Mart Workers have absolutely no voice at Wal-Mart Store #2615 in these hard economic times. Yet Wal-Mart claim and prides itself to have an “OPEN DOOR POLICY” that does not exist and that workers does not need a union to speak for them.
Wal-Mart “Open Door” is really Plexiglas, not to mention other slogans like “save money, and live better” but at what expense to American workers? This open door may look open to the “untrained eye” but when wrongfully terminated workers have a complaint he or she quickly discovers the “clear steel Plexiglas.”
The Wal-Mart final investigation letter to me--was like pouring water into an empty glass without a bottom. It look good to the untrained eye, but after decades of supervisory, leadership and management experience. It is my duty and responsibility to inform Wal-Mart Executives that when truth comes into the minds of those who seek truth falsehood must vanish and that falsehood is forever a vanishing thing.
As a victim of Wal-Mart unfair work practices I am in no ways tired. But 100% sure that Wal-Mart Wrongfully Terminated Workers will eventually join in and help seal up the “bottom of the glass” by spreading the word. That it is imperative that citizens find somewhere else to shop until Wal-Mart start treating WORKERS as human beings.
My personal commitment to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is that since my wrongful termination, I have found other places to spend my dollars and informing as many people as I can to follow my lead on behalf of American workers. Again, this is not an end, but a NEW BEGINNING to help Wal-Mart Workers receive the necessary training, respect, recognition and NOT be ignored as workers in foreign countries without workers rights.
My sympathy goes out to all remaining “Wal-Mart Workers” employed and wrongfully terminated at Wal-Mart Workers at Store #2615 and 899. You must remember that all American Workers, Wal-Mart Employees, friends, neighbors, and family members must STOP looking for change---but speak OUT and become the change WE need in the 21st Century.
To all who read this communication please help Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to fully understand that it is always right, to do right and even better to be right.” G.B.R.
God bless (ALL) America, Wal-Mart Workers, Workers in China, and everybody else.
GEORGE BOSTON RHYNES
Former (Untrained) Wal-Mart Department 9, Manager (Sporting Goods)
Retired United States Armed Forces Military Veteran
Former Business Owner for fourteen years
Parent of three successful children
A concerned citizen and brother of (ALL) humanity
Cc:
Majority and Minority Leaders of Congress
Georgia Department of Labor
Georgia General Assembly
Various Civil Rights Organizations
AFL-CIO President
Citizens (Internet) for Worker Rights
All Concerned American Citizens
Former Wal-Mart Workers for change, and against exploitation
Two heads may be better than one----but never forget which one belongs to you. {G.B.R).
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