Local React to Court Ruling Favoring Wal-Mart

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday that a class-action sex discrimination lawsuit alleging had discriminated against female employees in pay and promotion decisions cannot proceed.

The court did not decide whether Wal-Mart had in fact discriminated against the women, according to a report in the New York Times, but only that they could not proceed as a class. The court’s decision on that issue will almost certainly affect all sorts of other class-action suits, including ones asserting antitrust, securities and product liability violations.

Locally, it's been a challenge trying to find out how current employees feel about working at Wal-Mart. As Laguna Niguel Patch  searched for reaction, many employees refused to talk.

Most, customers included, hadn't heard of the lawsuit, and argued that there was very little—if any—chatter about it.

Veronica Garcia, a cashier who has worked at the store for two years, said she had not heard any employees talking about the case on Monday.

When asked if she thought employees at the store were treated fairly by management, she said: "Sometimes, not all of the time. They always take the customer's side and don't listen to what you have to say."

She added that as long as she can work enough hours at the store, she is able to make a living.

"Nine times out of 10, I do get the hours that I want," she said.

Another employee, Ryan Caceres, who has worked in the remolding department for the last two months,  said he had not heard anyone discussing the case. However, he said he has not had any problems working for the company.

"I definitely feel I am fairly treated by management," Caceres said. "They are good people that know what they are doing."

Have you, or do you work at Wal-Mart? If so, are people talking about the class-action suit? Do you feel you have been discriminated against by the management?

Sound off below!

--Blake Driver contributed to this report