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Copps Workers Out In The Cold?
The Capital Times
Friday, May 28, 2004
By Steven Elbow The Capital Times
More than 40 employees at local Copps food stores have been sent home until they can resolve discrepancies with their Social Security numbers.
A spokeswoman from Roundy's Inc. in Milwaukee, which owns Copps, said the employees were given 10 days to provide the company with valid records.
The action followed a letter from the Social Security Administration to the company late last week informing it of the problem.
"We're obligated to have the employees answer for the discrepancies in the their files," Lynn Guyer said.
While Guyer said the 46 employees were spread among six of the eight Madison area Copps stores, an employee at the Copps store at 620 S. Whitney Way in Madison said 27 were at his workplace. He said the employees were primarily Hispanic.
"It's just sad because a lot of those people have families, have kids," said the employee, who wouldn't give his name.
"Now all of a sudden they want us to work overtime," he said, referring to the impact on the other employees.
He said the store had just posted new job openings Thursday.
"I guess if they can't get it together, they can go elsewhere," the employee said. "I think this is just cruel. They're some of the best workers we've got."
Larry Alt, director of the Madison Social Security office, said problems with Social Security numbers are typically weeded out in the hiring process, so it's not unusual for large employers to have a group of people emerge from a backlog.
He said a lot of discrepancies stem from small problems that can easily be resolved, like the misspelling of a last name or a wrong digit on a form.
He said the agency did not target the Copps employees because they were Hispanic.
"It's against the law for an employer, and for us, to just single out a specific group of people," he said.
The Capital Times
Friday, May 28, 2004
By Steven Elbow The Capital Times
More than 40 employees at local Copps food stores have been sent home until they can resolve discrepancies with their Social Security numbers.
A spokeswoman from Roundy's Inc. in Milwaukee, which owns Copps, said the employees were given 10 days to provide the company with valid records.
The action followed a letter from the Social Security Administration to the company late last week informing it of the problem.
"We're obligated to have the employees answer for the discrepancies in the their files," Lynn Guyer said.
While Guyer said the 46 employees were spread among six of the eight Madison area Copps stores, an employee at the Copps store at 620 S. Whitney Way in Madison said 27 were at his workplace. He said the employees were primarily Hispanic.
"It's just sad because a lot of those people have families, have kids," said the employee, who wouldn't give his name.
"Now all of a sudden they want us to work overtime," he said, referring to the impact on the other employees.
He said the store had just posted new job openings Thursday.
"I guess if they can't get it together, they can go elsewhere," the employee said. "I think this is just cruel. They're some of the best workers we've got."
Larry Alt, director of the Madison Social Security office, said problems with Social Security numbers are typically weeded out in the hiring process, so it's not unusual for large employers to have a group of people emerge from a backlog.
He said a lot of discrepancies stem from small problems that can easily be resolved, like the misspelling of a last name or a wrong digit on a form.
He said the agency did not target the Copps employees because they were Hispanic.
"It's against the law for an employer, and for us, to just single out a specific group of people," he said.
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