BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A female delivery driver for Walmart has filed a class-action lawsuit against the retail giant over the style of pants that are issued as part of the required uniform.
The lawsuit states that the pants amount to “blatant sex discrimination by Walmart against its female drivers.”
Diana Webb has driven for Walmart since July 2020. In the lawsuit, she alleges that she has had to purchase her own pants because the ones provided by the company weren’t comfortable and didn’t fit properly.
Drivers are required to wear a uniform consisting of pants and a shirt while at work and are subject to “immediate termination” if they don’t, according to the lawsuit. Walmart denies the allegation.
Walmart provides the uniform to drivers, but “only provides men’s pants for both male and female drivers,” the lawsuit states.
These pants are “uncomfortable and poorly-fitting for the female drivers,” the lawsuit states. “For female drivers, it is impossible to wear the men’s pants provided by Walmart specifically made to fit only male employees due to anatomical differences between the sexes.”
Female drivers are able to buy their own pants but must pay the bill themselves, the lawsuit states.
The suit also claims that Walmart laundered and dry-cleaned drivers’ company-issued pants, but if staff chose to buy their own then Walmart doesn’t provide these services, according to the lawsuit.
“Female drivers are therefore required to either suffer discomfort, or purchase and launder their own pants, out of their own pocket, with no option for reimbursement,” the lawsuit states.
Webb said that she complained to her supervisors and HR multiple times before filing the lawsuit, but no action was taken. Supervisors had also denied Webb’s request for reimbursement for the multiple pairs of pants and shorts that she’d bought to wear for work, according to the lawsuit.
Randy Hargrove, a Walmart spokesperson, told the McClatchy News service that the company “is committed to providing our private fleet drivers with various clothing options to meet our guidelines. No associate, male or female, is required to wear company provided pants.”
“Months before the lawsuit was filed, Ms. Webb was fitted for company provided pants which she now has,” Hargrove added. “We continue to review our clothing offerings for male and female drivers. We take these allegations seriously and will respond in court as appropriate.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The company I was employed at age 21 as a driver from 1976 to 1993 only had male issued dicky type pants. We also we’re required to wear uniforms.
I complained at the ill fitting pants and unflattering button down men’s shirts.
They were uncomfortable and very unflattering for a petite woman.
The company did try to find women’s pants with the uniform company a very difficult task in the 70s and beyond.
When they did find a pair they were used and labeled from another woman.
It’s ashame that we are still dealing with these same issues after 45 years in this industry I would have hoped that by now this and other women’s issues were in the past…happily retired.