BREAKING: Senator Warren has launched a Congressional inquiry about abusive employer attendance policies after learning about the harmful impact that “no fault” attendance policies at major companies have on low-wage workers in A Better Balance’s new report, Misled & Misinformed. Yesterday, Senator Warren sent letters to five of the country’s largest employers — FedEx, Walmart, Conagra, 3M, and Kroger — as reported today by VICE.
Read Sen. Warren’s Press Release Here
“We applaud Senator Warren for investigating major employers who use points-based attendance policies. These “no fault” attendance policies routinely mislead and misinform low-wage workers for lawful absences, particularly workers who are ill, pregnant, or have chronic medical conditions,” said A Better Balance Co-Founder and Co-President Dina Bakst. “As the pandemic rages on and millions of workers, disproportionately Black and Latinx, are still required to show up for work or risk losing their job, companies must be transparent about their policies and fully compliant with our nation’s civil rights laws.”
“Compounding this problem, many workers don’t have access to the attendance policies that govern their employment,” Senator Warren wrote. “These policies should provide information about what leave is legally protected so workers understand their rights; not being able to access written policies makes it even harder for workers to know that their rights may have been violated, and to challenge illegal discipline or termination.”
In Misled & Misinformed, we analyzed attendance policies affecting an estimated 18 million workers at 66 U.S. employers—including major names in meatpacking, food processing, retail, and manufacturing—and found that these abusive policies consistently mislead and misinform workers about their rights under federal, state, and local civil rights laws, and operate in ways that make it nearly impossible for workers to exercise them.
Please join us in demanding change, and share this news widely on Facebook and Twitter. We will not rest until all workers are able to care for their health and their loved ones without risking their livelihoods.
