Transgender health insurance: http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2016/12/walmart_transgender_insurance.html

Walmart's Bathroom Policy Unclear: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/walmart-won-state-transgender-bathroom-policy-requests-article-1.2651162 

"Ten years ago, Walmart announced a partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. But after taking heat from conservative groups like the Christian American Family Association, which accused the company of following a "radical homosexual agenda," Walmart withdrew from the partnership, and said it would no longer put itself in the middle of "highly controversial issues."

The company added gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy in 2011 and also extended benefits to same-sex partners. Walmart has spoken out in favor of gay marriage, and against "religious freedom" bills that would allow LGBT discrimination — including one from Arkansas, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson rejected."

What do you think of Walmart now?

They're probably scared to death that if they stake out a public position they'll have enthusiastic People of Wal-Mart staking out their restrooms and assaulting every woman in a baseball cap that walks in.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-mistaken-transgender-harassed-walmart-bathroom-article-1.2638748




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I think it is as it was stated in the first article - it's an economic move. They feel that so few employees will access the health insurance that it's a small drop in the bucket, BUT doing so improves public perception in more progressive areas of the US that they want to expand to. Outside of small town America, Walmart is synonymous with poor employee treatment. Target is viewed as a reasonable alternative, and they have had big success making pro-LGBT decisions. Taking this small step that will not raise Walmart's costs substantially is an easy way to get those brownie points and bolster competition with Target in the cities they want to be in.

I would imagine that their health insurance is only accessible to full time employees, and like many private enterprises, Walmart has cut many full time positions to avoid having to provide health insurance benefits. So the actual number of transgender employees who could access health insurance is most likely limited to those that are in full time positions.

I don't feel any differently about Walmart. This is less about inclusion and more about making them into a competitive business in progressive markets.

Quote from: FTMax on December 31, 2016, 09:09:02 PM
I think it is as it was stated in the first article - it's an economic move. They feel that so few employees will access the health insurance that it's a small drop in the bucket, BUT doing so improves public perception in more progressive areas of the US that they want to expand to. Outside of small town America, Walmart is synonymous with poor employee treatment. Target is viewed as a reasonable alternative, and they have had big success making pro-LGBT decisions. Taking this small step that will not raise Walmart's costs substantially is an easy way to get those brownie points and bolster competition with Target in the cities they want to be in.

I would imagine that their health insurance is only accessible to full time employees, and like many private enterprises, Walmart has cut many full time positions to avoid having to provide health insurance benefits. So the actual number of transgender employees who could access health insurance is most likely limited to those that are in full time positions.

I don't feel any differently about Walmart. This is less about inclusion and more about making them into a competitive business in progressive markets.

I have heard of them making it hard for people to get promoted to full time so they don't have to pay more benefits, but I'm sure transgender people will try harder to get full time at walmart. Hoping the people won't get discriminated against by the local management. I wonder exactly how much transgender health procedures it covers.

This is somewhat old news. We have several members who work for Walmart and you couldn't ask for a better place to work. The management is willing to provide any assistance they require and insurance covers a fair amount of the medical costs. I have suggest some of the members who need work should apply at Walmart.

I just left my job at Walmart and I have to say they were mostly quite good to me. They do work you hard and it is difficult to get full time, but at least in the one I worked at they treated trans people with respect.

When I worked at Walmart, I was still hiding from myself.  However, my experience with the company is anything but good.  They routinely made hours I worked vanish from the payroll, because I wasn't scheduled those hours, but picked them up because they asked me to stay later.  The management would routinely defend the woman who was sleeping with a married manager, not his wife, even though she was very lazy and never was where she was supposed to be.  The training was mostly, here it is now do it.  The store manager talked a good game about teamwork, but would never lift a finger to help anyone.  Then there is the rhythmic chanting used in the meetings, which is a simplistic brainwashing technique most effective on bored/inattentive/tired people.  I know they claim it is meant to instill team spirit, but it is artificially doing this,  My team at work is a team because they work together to get things accomplished and I help whenever and wherever, and my team helps accomplish each others tasks no chanting involved.  I'm glad I no longer work for the company.

I've only heard bad things about walmart from it's employees locally. It's such a big corporation I think it must depend on where you live and what the local employees in your area are like. Thanks for your input.

I have an NB friend who worked at Walmart. Keyword: arbitrary. Yes, they paid for their meds, which was very important, but they ended up losing their job because the manager arbitrarily tossed them in hardware, an area they knew nothing about and then fired them for not picking it up fast enough. (They were an expert on electronics and media.) Walmart managers have a lot of power and make up their own rules. Also, the company has vacillating leadership from the top, first they want to cut labor then they freak because shrink is  up so they want labor back ... the short version is Daddy sent his kids to business school but didn't pass on the basics of running a successful discount outlet. So they're brilliant with big enterprise systems but flailing in terms of keeping the stores profitable. I would not recommend working there.

I don't know if any of you remember, but I was a Grocery Support Manager at Wal-Mart. I know I haven't been active in a long time, but ya'll know me best. I like to stay around for awhile and take long breaks from this support group. And honestly having being kicked out of my other Support Group for a difference in Political Views - We find ourselves together here. I mean heck this is only group I really can be apart of without being kicked for ridiculous reasons. So I'll keep coming and adding on advice for as long as I can. But then again here I go on another wild tangent - sorry!


But in a WM Management Level we try to look at some or more of these multiple variables when dealing with Transgender Individuals, which may or may not include all 7 or other additional identifiers/statements/questions not listed below. Keep in mind I am Transgender too don't cut me down too quickly now luullll... :/

1) Are you a Customer or an Employee?

2) City?

3) Safety?

4) Do you appear like a Cis-Gender Female (open to interpretation - also assuming your an MTF and vice versa)?

5) How long have you been in Transition.

6) How long have you been on Hormones.

7) Documentation of your Identity.


Most of these are pretty self-explanatory so I'm not going to in-depth, regardless of any of these #'s I do want to say this before we get started.... I LOVE Wal-Mart for many reasons and I do OWE them alot. That sad I'm not going to sugar coat this nor am I going to be on a for/against side of any kind. Wal-Mart was the first company to pull me out of the factories as a temp with no benefits. Sure it feels like you have no benefits on Part Time Insurance, but you know what it is better than not having it. The provider they use is Aetna, from my experience with it - it's been pretty good. Now the benefits at Full Time are much better, but then again we're not going to mention that either LOL.

The only reason I've left for Publix is a tricky subject. In total for a 2 1/2 Years Service at Wal-Mart I've been turned down eight ( time(s) for ANY management position. It took me a really long time to even reach Support. I just went to every department and asked what I could learn there, busted my butt, picked up shifts, work odd hours (we're talking about 1300-0200, 1600-0700, + 1200-0100), ask questions, learn from failures, and try not to be late for work. Easy Peasy Stuff, but learning and mastering are two different things. I won't go into too much detail, but that wasn't my problem, the problem was talking to the right managers who don't have a problem with you being Transgender. They didn't care that I used the Women's Restroom - for all I knew I don't think they knew. Of course this was in my earlier time in Transition when few at my place understood or had knowledge of.

A lot of the people had issues with it and I would get into periodic debates whether to the safety as they would refer to me by Male Pronouns, which is to be expected they felt lied and cheated to. Like you should have told us day one, which I didn't. Sometimes I would get into issues of explaining what Transitioning was and HRT to Upper Managers who were openly-anti Trans People. It's crazy you never know what's going to happen until it happens.


Just don't ask me about Publix they're literally killing me, but overall they've dealt with my transition very positively. I've been there for 4-5 Months now and I'm what they call a Frozen/GRS.