Unionizing Wal-Mart
I have just finished reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s "Nickel and Dimed – on (not) getting by in America". Great book. Every Wal-Mart employee should take the time to read the chapter about Ehrenreich's experience as an associate at Wal-Mart. She tries to convince fellow workers that unions are essential if they are going to negotiate reasonable working conditions. Problem is the company's brain washing leaves people interested but not willing to pursue the idea. God help Wal-Mart if they had to pay their employees a liveable wage and give them healthcare without an employee contribution their profits may plummet from 14 to 13.5 billion dollars per year.
Apparently Canada, full of socially compassionate extremists, is leading the way in this fight and is trying to unionize a few stores. But what does Wal-Mart do to the store in Canada that was closest to reaching an agreement with the union? They close it. Wal-Mart exploits the least fortunate amongst us. Sure I know there are stories of old retirees supplementing their pensions as Wal-Mart greeters. For everyone one of these retired greeters there are many more single mothers who can't afford to pay their rent, let alone provide adequately for their children. If you buy the Wal-Mart bullshit, take a part-time job as a Wal-Mart associate and find out the reality yourself.
I found a website dedicated to unionizing Wal-Mart in the US. It looks like a blog that hasn't been updated since May 2004. Maybe they got sick of trying. It must be almost impossible to organize Wal-Mart employees into a mass movement since most people that work at Wal-Mart probably can't afford internet access, or due to shift constraints can't attend meetings. With the Republicans at the helm and Bush preparing to cut programs for the poor the situation is likely to worsen over the next 4 years. I'm not proposing bankrupting the company, but would it really hurt the Walton's and their shareholders to make sure their workers are able afford life's necessities?
Apparently Canada, full of socially compassionate extremists, is leading the way in this fight and is trying to unionize a few stores. But what does Wal-Mart do to the store in Canada that was closest to reaching an agreement with the union? They close it. Wal-Mart exploits the least fortunate amongst us. Sure I know there are stories of old retirees supplementing their pensions as Wal-Mart greeters. For everyone one of these retired greeters there are many more single mothers who can't afford to pay their rent, let alone provide adequately for their children. If you buy the Wal-Mart bullshit, take a part-time job as a Wal-Mart associate and find out the reality yourself.
I found a website dedicated to unionizing Wal-Mart in the US. It looks like a blog that hasn't been updated since May 2004. Maybe they got sick of trying. It must be almost impossible to organize Wal-Mart employees into a mass movement since most people that work at Wal-Mart probably can't afford internet access, or due to shift constraints can't attend meetings. With the Republicans at the helm and Bush preparing to cut programs for the poor the situation is likely to worsen over the next 4 years. I'm not proposing bankrupting the company, but would it really hurt the Walton's and their shareholders to make sure their workers are able afford life's necessities?
posted by mochi at 7:34 AM
1 Comments:
Exactly. This is a subject that makes me want to scream.
Statistics show that Wal-Mart increases the taxpayers' burden because their low wages require their employees to seek public assistance. I have even read that Wal-Mart encouraged their employees to apply for food stamps! The stores supporters do that, and in the same breath support conservative policies to eliminate those supports. They are so pleased with their success employing sweatshop labor in foreign countries that they want to turn the U.S. into one big sweatshop, too. And the desperate unemployed are willing to take it, haveing few alternatives.
Augh! Hypocrites! In the town where I live a battle raged over whether they shoulld allow one of the two (!) Wal-Marts in the area to become a Super Wal-Mart. The town council, to it's credit said no - but the local citizens (or some corporate shills disguised as citizens) have bombarded the paper with letters to the editor in favor of Wal-Mart, and in the end I think it will happen. It's really sad.
Forgive them, taxpayers - they know not what they do.
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