Current Events > 71-year-old Costco worker wins right to sit on the job

(+) Yeah! (+)

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/montreal/costco-employee-71-quebec-sitting-work-bench-1.4397157

After being ordered to stay on his feet or go home, a 71-year-old sample server at Costco has won the right to use a bench at work.

Claude Gourdeau, a retired teacher, prepares and serves food and beverage samples at the club warehouse store in the Sainte-Foy district in Quebec City.

When a new company, Club Demonstrations Services (CDS), took charge of food demonstrations at the giant retailer in August, the employees lost a slew of rights, Gourdeau said.

"We have beautiful material to work with, nice tables, but they got rid of the benches we had before," he said. "It's a step backwards that I don't understand."

"I started to make comments to the local managers. Why are we getting rid of the benches? We used to have them, and we offered a good service."

His colleagues, who are all between the ages of 60 and 75, were reprimanded for leaning lightly on the wall after they were banned from sitting, he said.

They were also ordered not to drink water while serving food, he added.

"It's pretty crazy," he told Radio-Canada's Gravel le matin. "What's the problem?"

"We're not lazy, we're old. We have the opportunity to work and we're in good health, even if we have some boo-boos."

"We're useful to society: We provide services, and we pay our taxes."

When Gourdeau decided to bring his own bench from home, he said he was told by management to either get rid of the bench or go home.

"So I took my bench, and I got the hell out of there," he said. "I didn't quit, I came back. They didn't fire me."

While Gourdeau approached his bosses a few times about the issue, he said it was only addressed once he shared his story with a local newspaper.

This week, he was granted his wish to have a bench at work but only if he got a medical note and filled out a multi-paged report required by CDS.

After taking his case to upper management, Gourdeau is now one of 15 CDS workers granted the exception, out of a total of 953 employees.

While it's a step in the right direction for Gourdeau, he said he hopes his bosses will ease up on his colleagues, as well.

"I hope that things will change, and the public supports us," he said. "People don't understand how we could accept these kinds of work conditions."

---

gaddamn millenials!

Only in America
---

Only in America would you have to fight for the right to sit down...
---

Excellent

And this wasn't in America
---

in my day old people didn't need to lean or sit, they just fucking took it!
---

It's fucked up so many retail/service workers are forced to stand for no good reassin.
---

The dog-tired employee was later destroyed.
---

I don't get the motive for not wanting people to sit while doing jobs like this or being a cashier
---

I never understood why some jobs require you to stand all day even when the job can be done sitting down.
---

Kaname_Madoka posted...

Excellent

And this wasn't in America

woosh
---

NINExATExSEVEN posted...

I never understood why some jobs require you to stand all day even when the job can be done sitting down.

Coporate doesnt give a FUCK
---

First couple of people clearly cant read.

Spooking posted...

I thought Canada had good retirements. 71 year olds still have to work?

Sounds like he's working because he wants to.
---

Spooking posted...

I thought Canada had good retirements. 71 year olds still have to work?

Maybe they want to?
---

Sounds like he needs to be promoted to heavy lifting
---

I never got the whole standing up on the job at all times thing. Yeah when you got to help a customer, you should stand up, but why should you have to during down time?
---

Costco Employee gonna be like Walmart employees now.
---

mew4ever posted...

I never got the whole standing up on the job at all times thing. Yeah when you got to help a customer, you should stand up, but why should you have to during down time?

Because of the "If there's time for leaning there's time for cleaning!" mindset
---

He didn't really get the right to sit, he was just granted a medical exemption after getting a doctor's note and filling out a CDS-mandated form. The other employees still have to stand.
---

Freedom to sit doesn't mean freedom from consequences.
---

NINExATExSEVEN posted...

I never understood why some jobs require you to stand all day even when the job can be done sitting down.

Control
---

Even if you didn't read op, you can tell it's not America because he wouldn't have won
---

Lonestar2000 posted...

It's fucked up so many retail/service workers are forced to stand for no good reassin.

It's all in the name of how customers perceive a store. If you're leaning or sitting down, then you appear lazy and disinterested. Managers don't like that.
---

hortanz posted...

I don't get the motive for not wanting people to sit while doing jobs like this or being a cashier

people sitting need something to sit on. chairs = more expenses and companies are cheap
---

He should get paid less then
---

If it says right in the job description "Must be able to stand for long periods of time" and he isn't able to do it, he should be moved to a different position that doesn't require him to stand.
---

The Admiral posted...

He didn't really get the right to sit, he was just granted a medical exemption after getting a doctor's note and filling out a CDS-mandated form. The other employees still have to stand.

This tbqh
He could have done that before
---

YonicBoom posted...

If it says right in the job description "Must be able to stand for long periods of time" and he isn't able to do it, he should be moved to a different position that doesn't require him to stand.

why do you hate workers
---

Seems odd. I was under the impression that Costco was a company that treated its employees particularly well for a retail place. Getting rid of benches for sample servers doesn't seem like a massive cost cutting move or anything like that.
---

Fishy posted...

Only in America would you have to fight for the right to sit down...

You ever hear of China?

ThePrinceFish posted...

Seems odd. I was under the impression that Costco was a company that treated its employees particularly well for a retail place. Getting rid of benches for sample servers doesn't seem like a massive cost cutting move or anything like that.

Sounds like this is a third-party company that operates the sample stands inside Costco
---

eston posted...

ThePrinceFish posted...

Seems odd. I was under the impression that Costco was a company that treated its employees particularly well for a retail place. Getting rid of benches for sample servers doesn't seem like a massive cost cutting move or anything like that.

Sounds like this is a third-party company that operates the sample stands inside Costco

Ah, you're right. That's pretty much what I was thinking must be the case, but I skipped over this part.
Antifar posted...

When a new company, Club Demonstrations Services (CDS), took charge of food demonstrations at the giant retailer in August, the employees lost a slew of rights, Gourdeau said.

---

eston posted...

Sounds like this is a third-party company that operates the sample stands inside Costco

Wait, WTF he's right

CDS (Club Demonstration Services)

Even shit like food samples are being contracted out these days? This is the sketchiest shit about this whole story.
---

YonicBoom posted...

If it says right in the job description "Must be able to stand for long periods of time"

Seeing as how the job used to give all the employees, benches to sit down on I doubt the job description said that.

Aldi let's their cashiers sit and they're still always helpful.
---

That doesn't sound very Canadian of th-

Montreal

Oh lol

Jks, corporations suck in Ontario too lol
---

dude is old, had his time needs to retire tbh.

let some unemployed urban kid struggling to find employment have a chance at a job ffs

sounds exactly like what a foodservice subcontracting company would do, I've worked for a couple.

but if sitting doesn't affect their job performance negatively they should be able to. half the reason I still smoke cigs is so I can sit for 5 minutes every hour at work >_>
---

YonicBoom posted...

If it says right in the job description "Must be able to stand for long periods of time" and he isn't able to do it, he should be moved to a different position that doesn't require him to stand.

Except when he started the job that was bot the case.
---

In Germany, ALL grocery workers sit on the job.

Antifar posted...

After being ordered to stay on his feet or go home

why are some employers such assholes anyway
---

Metro2 posted...

In Germany, ALL grocery workers sit on the job.

God bless
---

Metro2 posted...

In Germany, ALL grocery workers sit on the job.

Well they can't do it at home since they're being evicted to make room for refugees.
---

Metro2 posted...

In Germany, ALL grocery workers sit on the job.

And in the UK, and Europe in general
---

Trayvon posted...

dude is old, had his time needs to retire tbh.

let some unemployed urban kid struggling to find employment have a chance at a job ffs

If he wants to work he can work. And some with no savings need to work. The government benefits only go so far.

teepan95 posted...

Metro2 posted...

In Germany, ALL grocery workers sit on the job.

And in the UK, and Europe in general

Of course. Damn NA.
---

NeonOctopus posted...

Only in America

It was in canada and its a month old

Irony posted...

Metro2 posted...

In Germany, ALL grocery workers sit on the job.

Well they can't do it at home since they're being evicted to make room for refugees.

---