DOJ sues Walmart for allegedly refusing to hire employee with naval reserve obligations
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - The Justice Department filed suit Wednesday alleging Walmart denied a Navy Reserve officer a job due to upcoming reserve duties.
In May 2016, Hunger said she applied for a summer job at Walmart while in the Naval Reserve. After applying online, she received a call from a Walmart in Grand Junction, Colo. At the end of the call, Hunger mentioned she had to attend a mandatory two-week annual training for reserve duty during the summer. The personnel coordinator from Walmart told Hunger Walmart could not support that kind of time off, and ended the call. She never heard from the superstore again.
Hunger, who was supporting two young children at the time, said she was not able to find other employment in Grand Junction during the summer and fall of 2016.
“Service members risk their lives to protect all of us. They deserve our full support, and the law does not permit employers to use military service as a reason to deny servicemembers jobs and other employment opportunities,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division, according to a Justice Department memo. “Defending service members is very important, and the U.S. Department of Justice will continue aggressively to enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and other federal laws that protect service members.”
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act passed 25 years ago to protect the rights of service members. It protects them from discrimination in employment due to their service. The Department of Labor referred the case to the DOJ after an investigation by the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service.