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Thursday, January 31, 2008

Schools Losing Workers to Wal-Mart

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
    A rush on jobs at Wal-Mart in Edgewood is affecting bus routes in the Moriarty-Edgewood School District.
    As of Jan. 22, three bus drivers had already gone to Wal-Mart for employment, according to district transportation supervisor Ernie Sandoval. Up to five more drivers may be looking for jobs there as well, he said.
    "Even before we started losing (bus drivers) to Wal-Mart, we were in trouble here," Sandoval said. "We're hurting right now, and if we lose any more (drivers) then we're really in trouble."
    According to Wal-Mart officials, the store will open in early March. In preparation, Wal-Mart is taking applications for 400 or more positions. Construction is scheduled to be completed Monday, and that is when employees and management will begin to stock the 214,000-square-foot building.
    Although Wal-Mart is going to be among the East Mountains and Estancia Valley areas' largest employers, the area's largest employer is still the Moriarty-Edgewood School District, according to Superintendent Karen Couch. That's why the district is seeing a change, Couch said.
    "Any new employer in the area will affect us," Couch said. "Any loss to us is worthy of consideration and review."
    The recent loss of bus drivers to Wal-Mart has drivers hauling two loads of kids a day, according to Sandoval.
    For students, that means long hours traveling to school, and some wait 30 to 45 minutes after school for a bus.
    "When you consolidate (bus routes), somebody's got to get on earlier and somebody's got to get on later," he said. "We're looking at all of our (bus schedules) and saying, 'What the heck are we going to do?' ''
    He added that he doesn't fault people for doing what is best for them and their families, even if that means he is left with positions to fill.
    It isn't just district bus drivers who have made a move to Wal-Mart, according to district director of personnel Cindy Sims.
    "In nutritional services we've lost three employees so far," she said.
    She pointed out that the district was already trying to fill positions in that area. There are now a total of six open positions, according to Sims.
    Despite having open positions, the work still has to be done, Sims said.
    "It just means fewer hands trying to accomplish the same task," she said. "I've had to go and help serve meals ... principals help ... it's whatever you have to do to make sure that meals are prepared for the kiddos."
    There are a number of benefits of working at the school that both Couch and Sims pointed out.
    Medical dental and vision insurance come at reduced rates for lower-income employees, and most employees are eligible for health benefits, according to Sims.
    Employees also get summers off and working parents will likely have the same schedule as their children.
    "It's a very family-friendly schedule when you have young children," she said. "You're off when they're off."
    Sims added that starting wages at Wal-Mart and in nutritional service positions in the school district are similar, but take-home pay at Wal-Mart is greater.
    There are two big reasons for that. First, school district employees have a mandatory retirement contribution, and second, employees' pay is distributed evenly throughout the year; in other words, each year they get a portion of each paycheck later, during the 12 weeks when they aren't working during the summer.