Walmart questioned
on sick-leave policy
Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to know whether Walmart Inc.'s attendance policy complies with federal laws and how the company informs employees of their sick-leave rights.
In a July 28 letter, the Massachusetts Democrat asked Walmart Chief Executive Officer Doug McMillon to reply by Aug. 11. Warren sent similar letters to the CEOs of FedEx, Conagra, 3M and Kroger Co.
Warren cites a June report from the legal advocacy group A Better Balance that looked at 66 U.S. companies with attendance policies assigning "points" to workers who call out from work or arrive late for any reason. Employees who accumulate too many points may be disciplined or fired, even if they were sick or out for other federally protected reasons.
Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the company will respond to Warren's letter by Aug. 11.
"Like any company," he said, "we have an attendance policy to help ensure we are taking care of our customers. We understand associates may have to miss work on occasion and we have processes in place to assist them. This includes legally protected and authorized absences, such as medical-related accommodation, [Family Medical Leave Act] leave, pregnancy and bereavement, that do not count against the associates' attendance record."
"Associates may request a leave of absence or reasonable accommodation at any time by talking with a salaried member of management or a human resources representative," Hargrove said.
-- Serenah McKay
Nominations sought
for minority awards
The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations through Aug. 21 for its 2020 Minority Business Awards.
Nominations are being accepted for: Little Rock Regional Emerging Minority Business of the Year, Little Rock Regional Minority Mentor of the Year, Little Rock Regional Legacy Business of the Year and Little Rock Regional Minority Business of the Year.
Winners will be recognized in a virtual event Sept. 14.
Nonmembers of the chamber are eligible to submit nominations, and self-nominations are encouraged.
Nominations may be submitted online at conta.cc/30p1lqF.
-- Noel Oman
State index joins
stock market rally
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Monday at 418.81, up 5.59.
"U.S. stocks rallied, with the NASDAQ leading the way, after several prominent technology companies reported strong earnings, combined with news that President [Donald] Trump would not get in the way of Microsoft's rumored interest in popular social media app TikTok," said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.