Skeptics Suspicious of Sudden Walmart Closures, Claims of Plumbing Issues
LOS ANGELES, CA., April 18, 2015 (UPI) – Multiple Walmart stores across the United States caught employees and customers off-guard this week when the massive retail chain abruptly shut down some of its stores and laid off more than 2,000 workers.
Customers and employees showed up to a location in Pico Rivera, Calif. on Monday to find locked doors and a sign that read simply, “closed indefinitely.” For the store’s near 550 workers, it was quite a shock.
As the workers scratched their heads, similar scenarios played out almost simultaneously across the United States — in Texas, Florida and Oklahoma — where others learned their same fate. What, they wondered, would cause Walmart to shut down their store so suddenly?
Eventually, the answer was given. But it only compounded the confusion.
The Arkansas-based company subsequently announced that the closures were due to plumbing problems, and would require about six months to repair.
“The issues mostly relate to clogs and water leaks in the plumbing – we have had persistent issues over the last several years,” a Walmart spokesperson said.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. Coinciding with the closures, about 2,200 Walmart employees also lost their jobs — laid off.
“Everybody just panicked and started crying,” Venanzi Luna, a manager at the Pico Rivera location, said in a CNN Money report.
In the meantime, displaced workers at the affected locations will be put on paid leave for two months and can try to transfer to another Walmart. Those still jobless on June 19 might be eligible for severance, CNN’s report said.
In all, five locations were closed — and a Walmart spokesperson said all five have had severe plumbing troubles, but none are related.
However, ABC Action News in Tampa, Fla., has reported that none of the closed stores have asked their respective cities for any building permits — something experts say is necessary to fix any kind of major plumbing issue.
“This is the first time we’re hearing of their sewer problems,” Pico Rivera city manager Rene Bobadilla said.
“We are anxious to learn exactly what they’re planning,” another Pico Rivera manager, James Enriquez, added. “My building official walked out there and didn’t see any work being done.”
Therefore, skeptics wonder, are the stores closing for another reason? Some believe that yes, in fact, they are.
Employees of the Pico Rivera location fear that the sudden shutdown is nothing less than retaliation by Walmart for recent demonstrations asking for higher pay. Workers at that particular store have been very active in the movement, and even spearheaded one of the first protests in 2012.
