Robot Heart: Sex, Religion, and Politics

Wal-Mart's stingy sick-leave policy may contribute to swine flu's spread

thesmarttart:

So concludes a new report from the National Labor Committee that finds that employees of the Arkansas-based retail giant — even its food handlers — feel they have no choice but to work when they’re sick. That’s because the company gives workers demerits and deducts pay for staying home when they’re sick or caring for sick children. The report found that the only time the company is removing sick workers from the food section is when they are coughing too loudly or violently — and then the person is merely transferred to another department rather than being sent home. Wal-Mart’s sick-leave policy conflicts with recommendations for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which calls on employers to advise workers to be alert for symptoms of flu-like illness and to stay home if they are ill. The CDC also asks employers to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members

via Facing South

…because we all needed another reason to hate Wal-Mart.