April 27, 2004
-
This is Bob Lipton speaking, aka Blip32962, aka Twoberry. My friend Travis Chaney has recently left the employ of Wal-Mart, and the termination was involuntary. Travis has asked his friends to spread the word. His letter follows.
****************************
FROM TRAVIS CHANEY
****************************
Please read this and forward it on to as many people as you feel moved to.
Until Friday, April 23, I had worked for Wal-Mart for almost nine years. During
that time, I became known as a very reliable and diligent associate. I even
got a promotion last August to Department Manager. To my surprise and
horror, two hours after I arrived at work Friday morning, I was informed that
my employment with the company was terminated. Here is how it happened:
The manager asked me if I had been “distributing literature” in the store. I told him
that I had left a couple of copies of a poetry collection that I had recently finished
to share with my fellow associates who would be interested in reading the work.
I have always done this during my years of working at Wal-Mart.
Apparently, someone who works in the store decided to read my work and was offended
by the presence of the word “vagina.” If one reads the work with any understanding,
the reference was by no means lewd, but rather–as is the tone of most of my work–
beautiful and ascendent. Nevertheless, the management at Wal-Mart consulted with
higher management in Bentonville and decided summarily to terminate my employment
without ever considering the intent of my work or even dialoguing with me about the matter.
Totally unexpectedly, I was just called into the office Friday morning and the deed was
done. To make matters worse, they hurriedly escorted me out of the store, not even
giving me a chance to say goodbye to those with whom I have worked for years. They
banned me from ever entering the Van Buren store again. As I stood at my car, I turned
and saw the hate-filled glares of the managers involved. It was as if they were daring me to
come back in and start trouble. Using Wal-Mart’s open-door policy, I called the Regional
Personnel Manager, who was also unreasonable. He even went so far as to totally twist
something else in my composition completely. ‘You’re poem also contains the word “nigger”,’
he said accusingly. This really hurt me. In an indictment against vestiges of racism in the south,
this is an exact quote from the poem:
the uneducated trumpet their ignorance on roadside signs paintbrushed with childlike letters
the churches spill forth biophobic nescients
the pejorative utterance of “nigger” still assagais a spring day
and when the sun redsupergiants some day maybe this place will be closest
Ironically, the very morning I was let go, I was wearing an Art Ensemble of Chicago t-shirt
with the words “Great black music.”
So, not only was the reason they fired me insufficient, but the WAY in which they carried
it out was reprehensible and heartless. The company pats itself on the back as being
FORTUNE 500′s “Most Admired Company.” This action is far from admirable. One of
their basic creeds is “Respect for the Individual.” Considering the work ethic I have
built over the years, this was the ultimate act of disrespect.
If you want to write emails to the Regional Personnel Manager or Regional Vice-President, the
addresses are (respectively):
Thank you, Travis Chaney
************************************************************
This is Bob Lipton again. To see the poem in its entirety, click here
Comments (3)
Walmart has a bad record in a lot of areas. I get emails periodically concerning things they have done to employees. I believe they are currently being litigated against in several group lawsuits. I think it’s a real shame your friend was fired over words. I found nothing wrong or offensive in the poem. In actuality, I wonder about the right of free speech here, does the man have a case? What we have is an attack on his work originally by a bigot of words, a bigot/holier-than-thou individual and the sad thing is the world is filled with people like that.
I think it might be interesting to make a letter of all the comments you get, I am happy to sign a protest with my full name and address. Signatures by themselves and email addresses are not good as far as identifiable complaints.
Myself, I never shop at Walmart but I do shop at Sams, one and the same thing. Why, I wonder at times, all of the prices there are not good and I deplore some of the things I have read about them. I don’t find them to be an American company but the opposite.
The world is fast becoming something I won’t mind leaving when it comes my time because of things just like this one.
LittleEgypt aka RSBlain
I had to get a dictionary to look up some of those high point words, but then it occurred to me, that the dictionary also has the words vagina and the n-word, and the f-word, and a##hole in them too. Do any of those managers have dictionaries in their offices? (I know walmart sells them.) If they have them and have ever opened them or handed them to anyone else, they too are guilty of the crime they unjustly accused your friend of commiting. Something to think about…
Shall we gather stones?
Twoberry here — Thank you, dear friends Rebecca and Robbie (and to Flaminredhead, Twonose, and the others who commented at Twoberry) — here’s an update which I hope pleases you, because Travis really did like his job and wanted it back. I’m sure Travis won’t mind my showing you his just-received letter:
I got a call from the Regional Vice-President this morning. She very much disagreed with the actions
taken against me and has reasonably agreed to fully reinstate me. Thank you for all your letters and
support. I am truly blessed with many friends.
Travis