Class Action Alleges Female Walmart Delivery Drivers Required to Wear Men’s Pants or Buy Their Own

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An Alabama woman alleges in a proposed class action that Walmart has “blatant[ly]” discriminated against female delivery drivers by providing only men’s pants as part of its mandatory work uniform. 

The 13-page suit contends that the men’s pants Walmart provides to delivery drivers nationwide are poorly fitting and uncomfortable for female workers. Overall, the complaint alleges Walmart has discriminated against female delivery drivers by requiring them to either wear men’s pants and suffer through discomfort or pay out-of-pocket for and launder their own pants, with no option for reimbursement. 

“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,” the case states. 

According to the lawsuit, Walmart requires delivery drivers to wear uniforms consisting of pants and a shirt as a condition of employment. A Walmart driver who does not wear a uniform while on the job may be subject to immediate termination, the suit says. 

Although Walmart provides each worker with an entire uniform and dry-cleaning/laundry services, the retailer provides female workers with only men’s pants, the lawsuit relays. If a female driver chooses to buy their own pants, then the pair they purchase must be denim jeans, khaki slacks or shorts, and the individual must pay for dry-cleaning/laundry services for the pants themselves, according to the case. 

“This is blatant sex discrimination by Walmart against its female Drivers,” the lawsuit alleges. 

The plaintiff, who currently works for Walmart, says that the expense she bears for laundering and continuing to launder her own work pants is something her male colleagues do not have to suffer. The case states that the plaintiff complained to her supervisors about Walmart’s pants policy prior to filing the proposed class action, yet “[n]o remedial action was taken.” 

“Plaintiff specifically complained that providing uniform pants only to men was a form of sex discrimination,” the suit reads. “Again, nothing was done.” 

Further, the plaintiff’s requests for reimbursement for the out-of-pocket expense of laundering her own work pants was denied, with Walmart’s reason being, according to the lawsuit, that it would then “have to reimburse all female drivers.” 

The case looks to cover all females who were employed by Walmart, Inc. from July 20, 2020 to the present, and were required to wear male uniform pants or shorts as a condition of employment or, alternatively, purchased their own. 

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