Wal Mart is a beloved retailer in some parts of rural America, others detest Wal Mart. I hate Wal Mart because they treat their employees so crappy. Then they spend tons of money on an ad campaign to make them sound so wonderful. I wonder if Sam Walton were still alive these things would be happening.
Is Walmart right or wrong?
by JH 35 Replies latest jw friends
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William Penwell
I wonder if Sam Walton were still alive these things would be happening.
I don't know about that. I recall seeing a Biography on him and he was a real ruthless guy.
Will
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HappyDad
Poor Sam Walton would turn over in his grave if he knew how his offspring has BASTARDIZED his dream. When he started WalMart......he had only North American made products for sale.......in order to put a halt to cheapo foreign imports........and most importantly.........to keep people on this continent employed with a living wage. And it is so ironic.........there was an abundance of ALL products manufactured on the continent. How many manufacturing businesses have been done away with by the company since Sam? After he died.........his GREEDY offspring got even more GREEDY. They could give a sh*t less if 10's of thousands of Americans and Canadians didn't have a "living wage" paycheck coming in each week.
So basically what you have now is 10's of thousands of WalMart greeters making a max of $7.50 per hour and probably working another job along with their spouse in order to feed THEIR offspring and make rent or a house payment.
So.......if you want to bash unions.......then do so........but don't even think about complaining about what you don't have in a job benifits package.
Not one person on JWD or anywhere in this country would have an iota of benifits or a wage package if it wasn't for UNIONS.
No.......I don't agree with the bullying tactics of unions in the past and even now....but the overall impact has been more positive for the "lowly" uneducated worker than ANY "right to work" agenda.
So........HappyDad who has been a union man and supporter since 1966 has spoken.........and if you think unions are bad........then PLEASE think where you MIGHT be if it wasn't for them.
HappyDad of the ready to fight for UNIONS even though he is now retired class but still able to kick scabs asses.
(Edited to add).....HappyDad even made waves when he was and elder by telling fellow Jdubs to stand up for their rights when they complained about their employer. (The self-employed Jdubs didn't think highly of HappyDad. Guess I was on the side of the "lowly" even though I didn't know it.
God......I love a GOOD fight!
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jeanniebeanz
I don't think anyone was bashing unions here. For me, it is more a matter of who's company is it anyhow? Does it belong to Sam's offspring to do with as they will, or should government get involved and *force* them to allow unionization against their will?
J
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CoonDawg
Wal Mart has a business model that is greatly admired. Having said that, Costco also has a successful business model, yet they actually pay their employees a desireable wage and benefits. Does it cut into the company profits? Sure, but it also engenders employee loyalty. You get more quality people and keep them longer. Wal Mart is so huge, that they are the ones who drive the industry. They are the place that can tell a manufacturer what they want and what they will pay for it. Because they are the biggest game in town, companies will shut down local plants and send the jobs overseas...all to meet Wal Mart's demands. It's trickle down economics at it's finest because ultimately, the poor schlep who lost his job because Wal-Mart had to save $.50 in costs...is now having to shop at this place that made him lose his job because a) they are the only game in town and b) they undersell everyone.
For an example of what Wal-Mart thinks of unions...a while back, some stores meat cutters decided to unionize. They were well along in their plans and approached management. What did management do? Well, this story is why you buy completely pre-packaged meat at wal mart. The closest thing they have to a meat cutter is the person who takes the packages out of boxes and puts it in the refrigerator case. They don't want unionization, they will find a way to shut it down. They don't want to be accountable for holding many workers under the hours limits so that they don't have to pay full time employee benefits. They don't want to have to answer for things like "peasant life insurance"....a practice where, if you want to work there, you sign permission for them to take out life insurance on you...even if you are just a greeter....and they continue to pay it even after you have left their employ....but if you die, they get the benefits. To me, this is such a bastardization of what free society is supposed to be about. They are scumbags and since they are the only real place in town, it pains me every time I give them money.
Ern
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Zep
You know, i really don't know. When Walmart says they weren't making money, it's probably the case they weren't making ENOUGH money. As far unions go, I'm all for them but they can go too far sometimes as far as wage claims go and add to inflation, which is the bogey-man for most economies these days. Unions and governments dont seem to have the power they use to have in the current global environment. Multi-nationals, I think, have too much bargaining power these days. I basically see these kinds of things in pretty simple terms: The poor are trying to raise their wages. The rich are trying to pay as little as possible, and I think they hold the upper hand as far as bargaining position is concerned these days. They really have a lot of leverage as far as putting downward pressure on wages is concerned. I'm all for profit, but excessive greed and profit I don't like, just like I don't like dirt cheap third world wages either. There has to be a balance somewhere, but at the moment it's a free for all, very competitive, with Big business holding the upper hand. You might want to get "THE COROPORATION" out on dvd. It's pretty interesting. I'm not sure they have the right answers, but it is interesting. It's left wing!