'We're not lazy, we're old': 71-year-old worker at Costco wins right to sit on the job
Claude Gourdeau said he was told to stand or go home after he brought his own bench to work
"...After being ordered to stay on his feet or go home, a 71-year-old sample server at Costco has won the right to use a bench at work. Claude Gourdeau, a retired teacher, prepares and serves food and beverage samples at the club warehouse store in the Sainte-Foy district in Quebec City. When a new company, Club Demonstrations Services (CDS), took charge of food demonstrations at the giant retailer in August, the employees lost a slew of rights, Gourdeau said. "We have beautiful material to work with, nice tables, but they got rid of the benches we had before," he said. "It's a step backwards that I don't understand." [...]His colleagues, who are all between the ages of 60 and 75, were reprimanded for leaning lightly on the wall after they were banned from sitting, he said.
They were also ordered not to drink water while serving food, he added.
"It's pretty crazy," he told Radio-Canada's Gravel le matin. "What's the problem?"
"We're not lazy, we're old. We have the opportunity to work and we're in good health, even if we have some boo-boos."
"We're useful to society: We provide services, and we pay our taxes."
When Gourdeau decided to bring his own bench from home, he said he was told by management to either get rid of the bench or go home.
"So I took my bench, and I got the hell out of there," he said. "I didn't quit, I came back. They didn't fire me."..."
