Walmart Settles Cashiers Lawsuit

About 100,000 current and former Walmart cashiers will receive up to $1000 each as a result of a settlement in a suit accusing the retailer of failing to provide suitable seating for workers who want it. The suit alleges that Walmart is violating a 2001 California wage order that provides for employees to be given “suitable seats when the nature of the work reasonably permits.” According to the proposed settlement, Walmart still considers the nature of the work performed by cashiers to preclude the use of a seat. It says that seating makes cashiers less efficient, that customers prefer cashiers who stand and providing seating would cause a significant loss of revenue. In 2016, California’s Supreme Court found in favor of CVS Pharmacy workers who wanted to sit down on the job. According to the opinion, “There is no principled reason for denying an employee a seat when he spends a substantial part of his workday at a single location performing tasks that could reasonably be done while seated.” The proposed settlement in the Walmart case was filed in federal court in San Francisco. The litigation has lasted nine years. Similar suits have been filed against Home Depot, Target, and JP Morgan Chase Bank.