lystn

Nasir and Matt discuss the Walmartthat claimed itsemployees were home on Easter but were really working in the store. They also answer the question, "I gave a small ownership interest to a friend. Now he refuses to do any voting in which a shareholder vote is required. I have the majority so do I need to worry about him?" Full Podcast Transcript NASIR: Welcome to Legally Sound Smart Business. This is Nasir Pasha. MATT: And this is Matt Staub. NASIR: And this is our podcast where we cover business in the news with our legal twist and also answer some of your business legal questions that you, the audience and listener, can submit to our podcast and we can answer. By the way, are listeners audiences, too? Or does an audience have to be in a studio? MATT: I would think audience is anyone who’s any of the five senses – listening, visually, smelling. NASIR: So, if they can just smell us, they could be an audience? MATT: Yeah, audience is the umbrella and you have everything underneath. NASIR: According to Meriam Webster, a group of people who gather together to listen to something. MATT: Ah! NASIR: Well, I’m sure a lot of people have podcast parties where they gather together and listen to our podcast. I guess that counts. MATT: Yeah, that’s pretty popular with ours, I know that I get those comments all the time. NASIR: Yeah. Well, to all the audience out there, submit your business legal questions to ask@legallysoundsmartbusiness.com and that’s our show! MATT: We look up the definition of one word every week and we tell people what it is and that’s it. NASIR: Word of the day – audience. Repeat after me – audience. MATT: Well, let’s get into the story that we have for today. This one deals with Walmart. By the time this episode comes out, it will be a week past, but it has to do with the Easter Sunday on this Walmart in Maine. This Walmart in Auburn, Maine, was closed on Easter Sunday. Apparently, once you get to a certain size, the laws in Maine are that you have to be closed. But the thing is, they posted a sign on their store saying that they’re going to be closed so their employees could enjoy the Easter Sunday with their families. They were closed, yes, but the problem is that some of the employees were working. Now, there was a question of whether these people came in voluntarily or whether they were required to come in or kind of maybe in the middle – they weren’t required to come in. It’s kind of like when your wife tells you to do something; you might not necessarily be required to do it but, you know, if you don’t, then it’s going to be pretty difficult for you down the road. Maybe it was a situation like that. NASIR: Well, I think it’s weird that they said that they let them off to be with their families but, if the reason they did that was because it’s a state law, I mean, I don’t think they did that in any other state – well, at least in the other state that doesn’t require it to be closed. MATT: Right, and I didn’t even know that that was the case. You know, in California, that’s not how the laws are but I guess, in Maine, that’s the case. I’ve actually been to Maine before. I don’t know if I’ve been to Auburn, Maine. I can’t remember, actually, any of the cities I’ve been to. It was a long time ago but it’s pretty spread out in terms of the cities and the population. So, maybe that’s the case on why this is. But getting back into the actual story here, I kind of see a problem with putting something on your store, saying, “Our employees are enjoying their time with their families on Easter Sunday,” but also having people inside, employees, inside working – whether they want to be there voluntarily or not. NASIR: Yeah, that’s true. It’s even more ironic that, on one hand, they’re saying they did this because of the families yet they’re required. At the same time, there are people working in there. But I can see people wanting to work. I think they only got regular pay though. But, every holiday,