Q: There have been reports that a number of Walmarts in several states suddenly closed for an extended period at the same time for plumbing problems. Can you shed any light on this unusual event?
—Bob Sullivan, Canton
A: Walmart has stood by its stance that the temporary closing of five stores was because of plumbing issues.
The company closed stores in Pico Rivera, Calif., Midland and Livingston, Texas, Tulsa, Okla., and Brandon, Fla., in April, putting 2,200 workers out of work. The stores are scheduled to be closed for up to six months.
The Pico Rivera store has been at the center of labor unrest. Workers walked out in 2012 and have “aggressively campaigned for higher wages,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is attempting to force Walmart to rehire the workers.
“As we have said all along, these stores were closed temporarily so we could fix the ongoing plumbing issues, and it would be unfortunate if this outside group attempts to slow this process down for our associates and customers,” the company said in a statement issued in late April.
Walmart stated each of the closed stores had “more than 100 plumbing problems reported over the last two years, the most out of our more than 5,000 stores in the U.S.”
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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