Smith said her mother pays more than $200 a month to get minimal health benefits.
“My mom tries to avoid going to the doctor as much as possible,” she said. “Every time she goes, she goes gets a significant bill she has to pay.”
Walmart takes advantage of its employees in many other ways, Smith said.
‘My brother, Sean, took a medical leave for back surgery,” she said. “His supervisor at Sam’s Club said they would hold his job open for him. When he returned, they reduced him to part-time. That could never happen here because our union reps would be on the case immediately.”
Smith has firsthand experience with the protections provided by a union contract.
“I wasn’t able to take my lunch breaks,” Smith said. “My manager would leave early and I would be forced to stay, because at least one supervisor has to be present at all times.
“Mark Ramos, who was my rep at the time, told me to keep track of all the times it happened. He filed a grievance and I and received a check for more than $1,000.
Smith’s current union representative, Carlos Soto, was also “Johnny on the Spot” when she got fewer than her guaranteed hours over Christmas week.
“He filed a grievance and I was given a check for the difference in the pay I lost,” she said.
“That’s what being in a union is all about. We have someone to go to when we have a problem.”
In addition to working full time at Rite Aid, Smith is also a full-time student at Cal State Los Angeles. majoring in elementary education.
“My goal is to teach kindergarten,” Smith said. “I love little kids and have always wanted to be a teacher,”
Working and being a student full-time gives Smith little time for leisure activities.
“Whenever I have the chance, I try to spend as much time as possible spoiling my 9-month-old nephew,” she said.
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