Elwood warehouse workers accuse Walmart of discriminatory hiring

Two workers at a Walmart warehouse in Elwood have filed complaints against the company, accusing it of employing discriminatory hiring practices.

Walmart, which owns the 3.4 million-square-foot distribution center where nearly 600 work, decided in January to "in-source" its hiring process instead of using the third party operator Schneider Logistics.

Although Walmart said it would directly hire back “as many people as possible,” a number of workers said they were not hired back despite having worked there for Schneider, in some cases for as many as four years, according to a news release from the advocacy group Warehouse Workers for Justice.

At a news conference in Chicago on Monday, WWJ’s associate director, Roberto Jesus Clack, said Walmart taking over the hiring process was welcome news to the workers. The workers were told those hired back would get a raise, benefits and paid time off.

However, last month, some workers who previously had passed their background checks with Schneider learned they had not passed their checks with Walmart.

Laseant Sardin, 59, for example, was not hired back due to nonviolent crimes he committed years ago, the complaint said.

Sardin said in WWJ’s release that he “made a mistake” in 1985 when he was caught selling cocaine and went to prison for 18 months.

“Afterwards, I knew I had to take care of my son and have stayed out of trouble ever since,” Sardin said in the release.

Sardin filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He accused Walmart of discriminating against him based on race.

Clack added that across the country, law enforcement is starting to take a less punitive approach to nonviolent and drug-related crimes. However, he argued, workers of color with a criminal record still struggle to find and keep jobs.

“When others are thinking about reforming, Walmart failed us, our communities, and they failed hundreds of workers here,” Clack said.

In a statement responding to the allegations, Walmart said it has a “robust criminal background check process.” Walmart said it allows for workers to take advantage of an individualized review process after a background check notes an offense on their record.

“We understand the importance of providing second chances and our background checks include a thoughtful and transparent review process to help ensure everyone is treated fairly,” Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said. “This includes offering candidates the opportunity to provide context to their record.”