Wal-Mart's campaign to influence the election.
Comment: It is inhuman that entities other than human beings are allowed to be involved in politics!
Comment: SEEMS THERE ARE MANY ON THIS THREAD THAT FEEL WALMART SHOULD, THROUGH SOME CONSIENCE DRIVEN FEELING, RAISE THE WAGES ACCORDING TO PROFITS AND SUPPLY BENIFITS TO ALL EMPLOYEES.
IT IS AN INTERESTING CONCEPT.
IF CARRIED THROUGH, THAT ARGUEMENT WOULD UNDO MOST OF THESE SAME PEOPLES OPINIONS AND ARGUEMENTS FOR OPEN BOARDERS AND AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!
YOU SEE THAT IF MOST OF THE BUSINESSES THAT EMPLOY ILLEGALS, BY THEIR OWN WORDS, THEY CAN'T GET AMERICANS TO TAKE THOSE JOBS (NOT TRUE FROM THE EXAMPLE OF THE SWIFT MEAT PACKING PLANT THAT HAD 300 WORKERS REMOVED ONE DAY AND A LINE AROUND THE BUILDING THE NEXT OF LEGAL AMERICAN WORKERS).
IF ALL THOSE BUSINESSES PAID HIGHER WAGES AND GAVE BENIFITS, THEN THESE SAME DISGRUNTLED COMMENTERS SHOULD BE IN FAVOR OF COMPLETE DEPORTATION OF ALL ILLEGALS FOR THE EXACT SAME "MORALLY CORRECT" VIEWS.............RIGHT?................WRONG!
AS IN MOST CASES, THESE PEOPLE FEEL THEY ARE DIFFERENT........."BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST PLAIN GOOD PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT A JOB AND THE AMERICAN DREAM"!(I GET ALL MISTY JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!)
WELL, HAVING A GRUELING 9-5 BARELY GETTING BY AS FAR AS BILLS AND TAXES IS NOT THE AMERICAN DREAM, STARTING A SMALL BUSINESS AND IT GROWING INTO A WALMART IS THE AMERICAN DREAM...........................WORKING THERE ISN'T SUPOSED TO BE, IT IS JUST A STARTER JOB,
JUST LIKE A 2BR 1 BATH HOUSE IS A STARTER HOUSE.............NO EXTRAS, JUST GETS YOU BY!!
Comment: The fact is the middle class as we once knew it was created by organized labor, the quality and craftsmanship America once was known for was created by organized labor.
Not only do union negotiate better wages, health care, and retirement they are also actively engaged in the training of the members,
We see members of the armed forces being electrocuted in the shower in Iraq. In all likely hood there is not a journeyman electrician anywhere in Iraq, KBR is the largest Non Union construction company in the world.
The failure of the Auto industry is the fault of the auto industry itself. During the late 60's and all of the 70's the cars produced by Detroit had taken "planned obsolescence to a new level, for a long time numerous components were designed to fail at the end of the 12.000 mile warranty.
The cars made during the 70's the entire car was a ""throw away" at the end of the 3 year payment period. Granted they cost only $3000. But there was little or no resale value.
At he same time Japan who was offended at the oft repeated comment that Japanese cars were junk and made from beer cans, made the decision that Japan would become known for quality.
This is exactly what they did, providing cars that were efficient, fun to drive and reliable.
Detroit then had to play catch up, now we see cars with warranty periods of 100,000 miles and yes the price is also 10 xs.
More recently Detroit continued to produce cars that got 15 miles to the gallon while Japan has started producing cars that give 40 miles to the gallon and will clearly have electric cars on the market in 2 years while Detroit might make it in 10 years. Once again playing "catch up".
The problem is not the people who build the cars it is the policy and reluctance of the corporation to lead the way.
Wal Mart's attempts to keep their "associates at the $7.00 wage level is indicative of the direction American has been heading for a long time.
Forcing America to an unskilled low pay population the same as any other third world county, A corporate policy that has accelerated during the last 7 years.
Wal Mart actually forced their suppliers to move to China, We now have low prices but much of what is bought is literal junk. And given the loss of jobs fewer consumers,
Wal Mart is the epitome of whats wrong with this country.
It is interesting that so many people seem angered and even resent the propect that Walmart "associates' might get a substantial pay increase and better benefits.
Comment: I have not stepped foot in Walmart for years and do not intend to do so. I do not approve of monopolies which are permitted to take over all shopping for all needs. I remember when the government stepped in on the telephone industry and allowed every Tom, Dick and Harry to be a phone provider. It has proved to be the first in a long series of ineptitude and dysfunction which has dominoed to everyday life in all situations. Everyone and anyone, however incompetent, is allowed to do everything.
Now that Walmart ''owns'' people for shopping from everything from underpants to lettuce, nobody seems to care or seek out the fact that there are still providers -- and better and cheaper ones -- elsewhere, unless you are so lazy you need to go to one store where one size fits all.
I hate Walmart, I believe it to be "THE BEAST", having provided and continuing to provide the dysfunction and destruction of many things which are important to the structure of everyday life.
Comment: WHOA!
THE SALVIDORE DAHLI OF COMMENTS!
Comment: For your info I NEVER buy at wall Mart
Comment: OK NOTED, LET ME WRITE THAT DOWN!..........LOL!
Comment: This story is very true walmart is holding meeting with there associate telling them union is no good for you because they take your money & do nothing for you. WALMART NEEDS UNIONS the north east stores is so poorly run, they abuses there managers because they are salaries payed. they have the worse insurance.
the stores are so under staff, never on one to help you. associate are very short fuse. they are looking to get raid of those been there the longest higher paid full timers to bring low pay part timers so they don't have to pay out. stores in New Jersey are in Franklyn, Newton, Rockaway Ledgewood, Mount olive / Flanders,& Hackettstown, These are the worst store run. I wish the UNIONS would step in to help give the associate better working condition .
Comment: Mandatory political indoctrination, Democrat-bashing, voter intimidation. Yes, it's business as usual at Wal-Mart.
This summer, Wal-Mart has organized mandatory meetings across the country, all with one purpose: to intimidate rank-and-file employees into voting Republican. The company's workers have been forced to attend ideologically-charged, Wal-Mart-sponsored rants against Democrats, Barack Obama, and landmark legislation that would allow workers to vote for or against representation.
We have received several calls from workers, their stories are very similar and similarly unsettling. As one worker put it, ???they were telling me how to vote.??? Another Wal-Mart worker, Beth from Alabama, was told by Wal-Mart management that if she ???voted for John McCain, then everything would be okay.???
We believe that ideological indoctrination and political scare tactics are completely inappropriate for the workplace. Yet again, Wal-Mart???s management has crossed the line, possibly breaking the law in the process. In light of these developments, we are calling for an immediate FEC investigation into Wal-Mart's political bullying at work, but we need your help to make a real impact.
Please tell the FEC to investigate Wal-Mart???s mandatory political meetings today.
Outright political intimidation may seem too risqué for a global corporation. Not for Wal-Mart. Stories like the above are actually an emerging part of Bentonville's corporate culture.
Take 2006, when Wal-Mart organized a ???voter education program??? for employees. The company placed Terry Nelson at the helm: formerly George W. Bush's political director, and later fired for making racist ads about a Democratic politician. Unsurprisingly, Wal-Mart's ???education??? program amounted to a thin veneer over strident attacks against Democratic candidates nation wide.
Why has Wal-Mart made such an effort to control its workers' voting habits? For one, The company is terrified that Democratic gains will ensure passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. For Wal-Mart, an organized workforce could spell higher wages and better benefits???two things the company has fought tirelessly to avoid.
In the end, Wal-Mart's motives are a moot point. The company has crossed the line, again, and it's time to hold them accountable. You can help us end Wal-Mart's sleazy political schemes by taking a moment to write the FEC today.
Please write the FEC and demand an investigation into Wal-Mart's mandatory employee meetings
Thanks for joining us in support of justice in the workplace, for Wal-Mart workers everywhere,
The Team
WakeUpWalMart.com
Comment: The problem is government! Government that rigs things for big business and the top one percent. Trade agreements that siphon away job growth, immigration policy that allows poor Americans to have to compete with desperate illegals. Bankruptcy codes that enslave people, lopsided payroll taxes, swiss cheese health care coverage that leaves 50 million people uninsured. It is time to get this type of government off our backs! They are crushing the silent majority. Government is the problem!
Comment: Myth Busters.
1. A rising economic tide lifts all ships. The GDP had been growing, trade is booming, but wages for employees are stagnating or declining. As the author points out only the yachts have been lifted by this rising tide. Myth Busted!
2. If workers increase productivity, then wages will increase. Productivity has soared this economic cycle but not wages. Myth Busted! Note: look for employers to drag this one out in the future as in ???. I cannot give you a raise because productivity has not grown. Conveniently forgetting that they screwed us on this last go around.
3. Illegal aliens do the jobs Americans do not want to do. All the good, high paying jobs in the construction industry were taken by illegals. They turned their nose down on picking vegetables. Myth Busted!
4. Free trade will move Americans into higher paying service jobs. Except that they are now outsourcing these good paying services jobs. Myth Busted!
Comment: Great stuff, Tea6.
How about trickle down economics? Another myth busted.
These people just want vassals and varlets working in their stores. They will keep it up as the wages decline up the ladder until enough people catch on to the scam. Meantime, the cash is bruising their toes as it falls in faster than they can count it. A goodly part of that cash comes from not having to pay a living wage and help the people who helped the company. Some like the idea that you can treat them this way because they are inarticulate, as responsibleseattlenative says below. It might be said of some of those hard working folk that seattlenative can't stock groceries half as fast as they can, so that he ought to take a bit pay cut, even though he speaks well.
Comment: No one is forcing them to work at Walmart. I have yet to find an employee that can smile and string 2 grammatically correct sentences together. They should be glad that any company is even willing to hire them.
Comment: What a snob! I *have* actually met very nice, respectable people employed by Wal-Mart. Regardless, someone's ability to string an intelligent sentence together doesn't determine their value as a human. Maybe they didn't have the same opportunities as you for an education. Also, some of the sweetest people I know aren't even high school grads, and some of the rudest, coldest people I know have a PhD.
My view is that we are all humans, we're all out there trying to do the best we can. For some, that's Wal-Mart. For others, Wall Street. However, Wal-Mart employees ARE working...they're not just lazing around on public assistance.
If everyone had the same view as you, there would be no laws barring monopolies. In some areas, particularly rural ones, Wal-Mart is as good as it gets...there aren't a lot of businesses to choose from when deciding on where to work.
Comment: Some years ago I was invalided from a terrible accident. It took me 9 years to be able to work again and I would have taken ANY job! Many of the people you see are disabled--authenticly...and chose to work.
These lower paying jobs are where determined Americans get our new start and end our work days as retirement draws near.
It is from these jobs we may improve and establish references to get the higher payed ones.
We do not complain. We know our situationand theres no need or obligation to tell each costumer what our personal disposition is. We do it for our selves and our families. And many of us could--if we chose to-- could veg out in a hospital or care center, our disabilities being legitimate.
Some of us hold TWO jobs. And do volenteer work , too!
I am glad that a company chose to hire me and to train me! You have no idea how glad!
In about the 6th year of not working I was about to commence work at a shop when suddenly, my States' minimum wage laws imposed a BIG jump on employers--which my new prospective employer couldn't pay as a job for me went up in smoke before my eyes!
And all the promised wonderful things the new rate would do for "all of us" never did materialize. But a lot of
Liberal politicians got elected.
Some things are just NOT what they appear to be. Particularly during election season.
Comment: Business uses the argument that they have to keep minimum wage low for everyone otherwise the disabled will not be able to get jobs. However, government can subsidize the wages of the disabled to make it more attractive to hire them. You do not have to lower the minimum wage for everyone. Of course this would take away the only non-selfish argument they have for keeping the low wage workers in poverty.
Comment: Who would want to see Walmart gone? Not me! What I want to see is walmart stepping up and using some of their huge profits to provide some benefits and fair pay for their employees. The ones to blame is the Congress that allowed Walmart and others to be exempt from having to compete on a level playing field and make those profits on the backs of the poor. The poor working class. I doubt that any employee below the level of assistant manager is above the poverty line. Who can defend that. Those of us that have a retirement plan and have hospitalization should be the first ones to see that Social Security just wont do it. How many of us want to be a gate guard when we get too old to work and have only $1800. coming in.
Comment: WHERE DOES QUALITY OF WORK AND VALUE AS AN EMPLOYEE COINCIDE WITH PAY SCALE?
OR...........MORE TO THE POINT DO THEY EVEN HAVE ANY BEARING ON EACH OTHER IN YOUR POINT OF VIEW.........................DOES TIME ON THE JOB EQUAL A CERTAIN DOLLAR AMOUNT OR DOES THE MONEY EMPLOYING THAT INDIVIDUAL EVEN HAVE TO ADD UP TO A CERTAIN % OF PROFIT...................
IS IT A MORAL IMPERATIVE TO EMPLOY ALL WETHER OR NOT THEY ARE PROFITABLE ...........................SHOULD AN EMPLOYEE BE EVALUATED ON THEIR PROFIT MAKING ABILITY AS FAR AS BEING REPLACABLE BY SOMEONE WHO WOULD "HELP THE TEAM BETTER" (LIKE A PROFESSION SPORTS FIGURE) OR IS THAT IMORAL BECAUSE THE "THAT IS A GOOD PERSON WHO HAS TO EAT JUST LIKE YOU AND ME"???????
Comment: No one is forcing people to work at Walmart. I have yet to find an employee that can smile and string 2 grammatically correct sentences together. They ought to be glad a company is even willing to hire them.
Comment: responsibleseattlenative, are you one of those effete people who look down on those who use bad grammar and bitterly turn to their guns and Gods for consolation? Are you in favor of punishing them with low wages for hard work because they speak poorly while stocking shelves and adding up your purchases who ought to be happy that someone would hire them anyway over all the Harvard graduates who need that job?
Comment: WELL SAID!
Comment: Hundred per cent on that, Bass Pro.
Comment: "Good Will" is a palpable asset to any business. When a business is sold, Good Will is an item that is traded for money in the transaction. What we are seeing here is that Wal Mart's good will is in a state of decline. There is a basic sense of fairness that runs through these criticisms that indicates that a large number of people with a wide range of political viewpoints disagree with Wal Mart's increasing lack of regard for its employees. These tidbits have been showing up in different ways in the media in recent years and it is not a "Marxist" or "Socialist" plot. It is a bunch of red blooded Americans who are telling Wal Mart that we don't like what they are doing in this matter. We are also telling them that whether or not we agree with unionism, they are going to cause their employees to unionize if they don't straighten up and fly right. Various remedies are likely. One is a decline in shoppers. Another is healthy competition by another business of the same type. Another is a unionized staff if it continues. Thanks for making a blog to air this out.
Comment: "GOOD WILL" OR "BLUE SKY" AS A SALABLE ITEM IS DETERMINED IN AN ACTUAL EQUATION.(USUALLY 3-5X GROSS PROFIT)
IT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO BRAND RECOGNITION AND OF COURSE GENERAL ATTITUDE OF THE ENTITY, BUT THE METHOD OF DETERMINING THAT VALUE IS ALMOST ALWAYS PROFITABILITY.
GRANTED, WALMARTS IMAGE IS AFFECTED BY THE MANY WHO BELIEVE IT SHOULD FOLLOW THOSE PEOPLES MORAL COMPASS AND CERTAINLY THE PRESENT ECONOMY...............THAT HAVING BEEN SAID.......................IBM, GE, THE N.Y. STOCK EXCHANGE, COCA COLA,STARBUCKS, OR ANY LARGE COMPANY I CAN THINK OF WOULD NOT HAVE MUCH BETTER "GOOD WILL"!
Comment: It would be tough to play in the toy section at 2am if Wal-Mart took all their jobs overseas Likeitis being that would involve moving every store there. You do realize they dont produce anything only sell it right?
Comment: THEY PRODUCE ............MUCHO JOBS....................AND MUCHO PROFIT................THEREFORE A SMART RUN BUSINESS........................WHAT MORE CAN BE ASKED OF MAYBE THE MOST EFFICIENT COMPANY AND POSSIBLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST EMPLOYERS ON THE PLANET?
Comment: WHOA!........................................ MUCH HATE FOR WALMART HERE!....................NO SEEMS TO REALIZE THAT IT IS A GIFT TO HAVE WALMART AVAILABLE IN THIS COUNTRY...........................THE OPTION IS ALL THOSE JOBS GOING OVERSEAS.......................IF UNIONS EVR WERE ABLE TO PUT THE VALUES THAT THE SOCIALISM GROUPIES WISHED...................THEY WOULD BE UNPROFITABLE ...............AND FROM CORPORATE SURVIVAL MODE....................MOVE TO ...........LETS SAY MEXICO.........................THEN ALL THE TEAR JERKING ................"AMERICAN BUSINESS IS BLIND TO THE PLIGHT OF THE AMERICAN WORKER, BOO F'ING HOO!"
IF WALMART WAS BROKEN, IT WOULDN'T BE WHERE IT IS AS A COMPANY.................AND CERTAINLY ALL OF US COMMENTERS ARE WAY SHY OF EVEN COMING CLOSE TO THEIR SUCCESS!
JUST ADD A UNION TO THE MIX IF YOU WANT TO SCREW THEM UP..................LOOK WHAT THEY DID FOR THE DETROIT AREA.............................."DUHHHHH, I PUT A RIGHT SHOCK ON A FORD, AND MY DADDY PUT RIGHT SHOCKS ON FORDS, SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SQUEEZE 60K JOB PER YEAR, DUHHHH!"
THIS IS WHY THE ENTIRE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY IS IN IT'S PRESENT STATE!
UNOINS (AND SOCIALISTS) BELIEVE THAT TIME ON THE JOB EQUALS A CERTAIN PAY NOT PERFORMANCE OR QUALITY...............THAT IS THE PRESENT PROBLEM WITH FORD-GMC AND USED TO BE W/CHRYSLER..........BUT WE STUPIDLY POSTPONED THEIR DEMISE.........SO THAT WE HAVE THE COLLECTIVE PLEASURE OF BAILING THEM ALL OUT (AGAIN) EVEN AFTER SIBSIDIZING THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY AND DECADES OF TARIFS PROTECTING INEFFICENT BUSINESS POLICYS!
THAT IS THE UNION WAY!
Comment: Been reading your blogs, likeitis, and in the past hour, you have used "Marxist", "Socialist", and "Bleeding heart Liberal". Would be grateful if you would give your definition of these terms. I really enjoy your posts and would be better able to appreciate them if I could fill in these blanks. Thanks in advance for the help.
Comment: FOR THE SAKE OF TRUTH.................PLEASE POINT OUT WHERE I USED THE WORD MARXIST...............SINCE I AM NOT EXACTLY SURE OF ITS TRUE MEANING!...................IN OTHER WORDS..................YOUR BULL SHlT HAS BEEN CALLED!
Comment: Well, let's just remove the "MARXIST", then, just one of the three patties of which you speak and see if you would define "socialist", and "bleeding heart liberal". You can drag the pot on "MARXIST".
Comment: But, LIKEITIS, if I can be of service and you would like to know about the Marxist deal, there was a man named Karl Marx long ago who wrote a deal he called the Communist Manifesto. This was a tract that many people took seriously and tried to form a socialist state in Russia. They revolted in about 1917, and took over everything after killing thousands of people who might try to interfere with their grand plan. You might remember reading about them somewhere along the line. These people were pretty much full of it, but it took 75 years for them to catch on that this deal wasn't working. Along about that time, Ronnie Reagan went to Berlin and told them to tear down that wall. By that time, they were flat on their butts from too much socialism that hadn't worked for those 75 years. They are now a capitalist country like us. There is no tuition for this lecture. I just wanted to help you out. Hate for a man to not know something. Keep plugging. I know that you won't do it, but would you consider using small letters instead of the caps. It is sort of like someone shouting in a small room with bad acoustics. Cheers.
Comment: LOOK IF YOU HAVE AN ARGUEMENT WITH WHAT I HAVE TYPED................SPIT IT OUT....................HAVE THE BALLS TO JUST SAY WHERE YOU BELIEVE I AM WRONG!
DON'T BE CONDESENDING, I KNOW WHO KARL MARX WAS AND THE ONLY PARTS YOU SAID THAT WEREN'T IN MY MEMORY BANKS WERE THE DATES(I DO KNOW HOW TO FIND WIKIPEDIA!).
YOU SEE, THAT MAKES YOU LOOK AS IF YOU ARE EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED TO YOUR "OLDER/WISER" POST NAME................AND ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT TO BE UNDENIABLY FACTUAL!
THE WAY YOU ATTEMPT TO SET AN "EXACT DEFINITION WORD TRAP" WITH THE BAIT(COOKIE OF I "REALLY ENJOY READING") MY POSTS...............ALTHOUGH I DON'T BELIEVE MYSELF TO BE WISE , I AM OVER 6 YEARS OLD(57) AND CAN SEE A TRAP OF THAT CALIBER MILES AWAY!
P.S. I READ YOUR POST AS WELL, AND THOUGH IT IS GOOD READING, WE BOTH ARE AWARE THAT WE AGREE ON ONLY A COUPLE OF ISSUES STARTING WITH OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT.......................THE REST, I AM FAR MORE EXTREME THAN YOU ARE..................ALL OF WHICH IS FINE...........................BUT FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOURSELF THAT HAS BRUISED YOUR FINGER TIPS SMACKING THE KEYS IN AN EFFORT TO PREACH THINGS LIKE TOLERANCE........................PRETTY PETTY TO CONTINUE TO WORK YOURSELF INTO A FROTH OVER..............MY FREAKIN' CAPS LOCK!
MEANING SIMPLY, IF IT HURTS TO HIT YOURSELF ON THE HEAD WITH A HAMMER ....................DON'T!
IF IT BOTHERS YOU THAT I USE CAPS, .....................................DON'T FREAKIN' READ IT! ..........YOU OR SOME OTHER EINSTEIN OF THE WEB DECIDED THAT CAPS WAS A RAISED VOICE AND YOU INSIST ON PERPETUATING THAT STUPIDITY.................IT IS CERTAINLY YOUR PREROGATIVE................BUT OBVIOUSLY I STILL HAVE FAITH THAT #1) THE ARTICLE YOU JUST READ TO PROVOKE YOURSELF TO THE COMMENT PAGES WAS WRITTEN IN A LARGER "POINT" OF TEXT THAN THESE COMMENTS AND #2)THE ONLY SOUND I AM MAKING IS A TAP ON A KEYBOARD.
Comment: The first words you hear at your indoctrination, orientation to some, are "we are not anti-union, we are pro- associates. The best I could do after listing to this garbage was laugh out loud, and was promptly asked to leave, as I no longer fit the mold of what Wal-mart is looking for in it`s associates. The mold they are looking for is those with few options in the work place, who can`t afford to miss a pay check, and will do as told no questions asked in the process. As a retired man looking for something to take up a couple of days of my time I was stupid to have thought this might be the place to work a few hours a week. This is a predator employer who will do anything in it`s power to maintain total control over your thoughts, beliefs, work rules and your life once they have control of you. A union would be a great wake up call for these clowns who have trashed the name of Sam Walton and what he stood for.
Comment: ship thats just neolib liberal crap. every union is not marxist and where exactly do you come up with your statement "government has never created a job or wealth during its existence" that sounds like something friedman would have said
Comment: I don't know the definition of a neolib liberal. I describe myself as a free market conversative. See my additional comment below regarding unions. Based on my studies of Freidman in graduate school, I'll gladly admit that my economic beliefs align with him.
Comment: Corporations have long been a distressing thought on presidents on the minds of American Presidents
Abraham Lincoln wrote about corporations during the civil war because he had concerns about the restrictions that he had lifted on them in order to mobilize the war effort.
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. ... corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."------- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
Ironically the very amendments that allowed Corporations to collect so much power are the very amendments that provided freedom from the horrors of slavery. Corporate lawyers were able take these amendments and apply them to Corporations for purposes that they were not intended to be used. Wall-mart is an example of Corporate greed and depression of wages. They are a malicious company that drives out all other competition and is a drain on the economy over the long term there is no benefit to having a Corporation like this in the US and they should be dealt with by the Federal Government in very harsh terms.
Comment: The idiocy of those who pretend to understand economics is well represented here. The bottomline is that business in general prefer conservative economic and business regulatory policy, because in the long term it creates more after tax net income. More after tax net income, whether at the business or personal level creates growth . This growth results in prosperity which in turn produces more income. It's not rocket science. You disagree with their policital involvement because they're not socialist. Wal-Mart like many other businesses are ultimately making economic decisions here not political ones.
Comment: ship: It well it is not but you are still having trouble understanding it. According to their website Wall-mart is the largest employer in the US. According to their official site, as of June 30, 2004, the company had 1,409 Wal-Mart stores, 1,562 Supercenters, 539 Sam's Clubs, and 70 Neighborhood Markets in the United States. It rang up $256 billion in sales last year. What does this mean? Well, the number one employer used to be GM and they were paying around 36 dollars an hour for labor. Wall-mart pay around 7 to 8 for most of its ???associates??? there is a very large gap in pay. This ultimately affects the buying power of the working class over time. Sure it is cheap for the upper middle class but you can???t destroy the base and except the structure to hold up much longer. The US is the used to have the strongest middle class in the world and it is sadly eroding exponentially as we speak, and all the money goes to the top. This is the real reason that Wall-mart loves republicans, but it may back fire because this decade there stock has been rather flat.
Comment: Yes, ship43, we are totallly ignorant of economics. It's our idiocy that is the real problem. From now on, we will vote whichever way that our supervisor tells us to. He also wants us to go to his church. We should do that, too, because we are too idiotic to pick our own favorite candidate and our own religion. We want all of our personal lives to be controlled by our supervisor and our employer. Are we getting smarter now?
Comment: My idiocy comment is not referring to the individual citizens of this great country. I was referring to the column's author. I have nothing but the upmost respect for individuals who take responsibility for themselves and make well-informed decisions without the unnecessary influence of employers or marxist labor unions. I believe that if the country, both individuals and business, were left to their own intelligence, creativity, productivity and efficiency we increase the living standards and prosperity of everyone. Opportunity and success cannot be achieved through government redistribution of wealth (socialism) or government regulations. Please remember the government has never created a job or wealth during its existence. Any "government" job is a result of taxpayer money, whether it be business or individual taxes. As far as my argument with the author, it was directly related to his economic premise.
Comment: Marxist Labor Unions? In Marxist countries there are no labor unions to represent the workers of a company. In 2004 in Quebec Canada, a Wal Mart store's employees successfully unionized and Wal Mart just closed the door.
Comment: The marxist comment was a pejorative that reflects my historical view of certain labor unions as mafia operated, corruption filled organizations that operate not through the bidding of their democratic members but via organized crime. Nonetheless, the fact that marxist countries have no labor unions is mutually exclusive from the idea that a labor union cannot have fashist tendencies. I have no problem if the employees of a company want to organize themselves in order to represent their best interest. In the same vain, I believe employers (the people who put their own capital at risk that allows individuals to have jobs to begin with) should have the ability to hire and fire based on the long term best interest of the company. Therefore, if Wal Mart or any other business chooses to close a store because employee costs make the return on investment of that store to be insufficient to justify the risk, then the company has made a decision in the best interest of its stockholders (the people with capital at risk). If the employees of a business would rather lose their jobs because of their non-market based employment requirements rather than submit to the forces of supply and demand, that is their choice. You have no right to a job. You have the opportunity to obtain a job based on an individuals willingness to risk their own money to operate a business. I'm continually amazed at the growing presumption that individuals "feel" they are owed something by government, and that they seemingly want to destory the very business that provides for their employement.
Comment: Yes, there are certain unions that were controlled by the mafia, but the mafia is not marxist either, they do believe in free enterprise (even if their business is illegal). The Mafia used to kill communists in Italy after WWII. Closing a store or a factory because the workers unionize is a form of union busting and sends a message out to other employees that they should not even attempt to unionize. When I was a kid, my father worked at a steel plant that was unionized. He made pretty decent money there. The company, in order to cut employee costs, closed the plant, which put about 3,000 people out of a job. They then transferred ownership to a subsidery company, reopend the plant as a non-union plant, cut the salaries in half, and refused to hire anyone back who had belonged to the union.
Most people do not feel they are "owed" something by the government except to have their interests in mind. Most people do not want to destroy the business that they work for, they just feel that this business should show them some type of loyalty for their contributions. Especially when that companies execs saleries are on the average 150 times greater than their employees.
Comment: I was beginning to wonder if there could be an entity on the planet as bad as the ChiComs (chinese communists)....now I see there is. Wal-Mart is nothing mroe than a terrorist-like dictatorship. I know it would never happen because there are way too many low-income people across the nation. Yet, what an absolute joy it would be to see everyone in the nation boycott Wal-Mart. I find the way the treat their employees disgusting and reprehensible. I find their business tactics and the way they ruin a community to be disgusting and reprehensible. It's been well over a year since I darkened the doors of a Wal-Mart store....and I will not go back to one unless it's just absolutely necessary.
Comment: Sheesh - I have no less than THREE Obama ads flashing at me while you write about corporate influence on voting. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Why not do a scathing article about Newsweek's bias on reporting politics and their open support to go vote demoncraat? Newsweek is just about slid down to the National Enquirer -- oh oh - my platoon LT told us to vote for the republican of our choice!! call an emergency war council!
Comment: Obama's campaign pays to run those ads. Newsweek would probably run McCain ads, if his campaign would pay for it. Instead, McCain is too busy making silly little comparisons to Paris Hilton.
Comment: Leaders in the military are prohibited by regulations to tell their subordinates how to vote or who to vote for.
Comment: Orders is orders.
Comment: Yours is not to reason why, yours is but to do................
The military is one employment where you agree to do anything that your employer tells you to do or face a court martial and the stockade, brig, or whatever, a firing squad maybe. No unions allowed. Totally irrelevant to a job with Wal Mart.
Comment: Leaders in the military are prohibited by regulations to tell their subordinates how to vote or who to vote for.
Comment: OK, look at this way then -- what does the AFL-CIO, TEAMSTERS, UAW, and other unions tell their members to do on election day? and what party do YOU think they are STRONGLY encouraged to vote for???? in fact - if it wasnt' for the unions and hollywood (and just for Newsweek's sake we'll include the popular media of 'news magazines' TV shows, and movies as 'hollywood') -- who does vote for democrats? oh yeah, New York and a few other east coast states. (go to 270towin.com and see how all states voted each election back to the very first)
Comment: All right try this one then ---- what does the AFL-CIO, TEAMSTERS, and other Unions tell its members to do on voting day - and what party to vote for? What is the difference?
Comment: The difference is the AFL-CIO, Teamsters do not hold your job over your head.
Comment: That's one of their functions as your benefactor. You join them for this service as well as the other ones that they provide. You do not go to work for Wal Mart to tell you how to vote to help them put you further in the hole.
Comment: THEIR ONLY OTHER FUNCTIONS ARE TO COLLECT DUES AND LINE THEIR OWN POCKETS!
THE USEFULLNESS OF LABOR UNIONS WENT BYE BYE WITH THE ADVENT OF OSHA AND CHILD LABOR LAWS!
Comment: A union's purpose will always exists as long as we have corporate greed and corruption. Since the latter is alive an well in this country, I think it is safe to say that Unions also need to remain alive and well.
Comment: BETTER LOOK AT THE STEADILY DECLINING #'S OF UNION WORKERS.................EVIDENTLY THE WORKERS OF THE U.S.A. DISAGREE!
Comment: The decline of unions is because of Union busting practices of large corperations. Also, most union jobs were in the manufacturing industies which have also declined in the past years.
Comment: WE VOTED TWO FROM OUR FAMILY BUSINESS..............................IN THE VOTING WITH NLRB OFFICIALS PRESENT FOR MATTERS OF POLICING ANY TRANSGRESSIONS...........................EVEN THOUGH I WAS A (PAID UP) DUES PAYING MEMBER......................THE TEAMSTERS CHALLENGED MY VOTE, BECAUSE I AM FAMILY AND WOULD BE BIASED....................................THE CONFRONTATION AFTER THE FIRST VOTE (FAILED TO VOTE THEM OUT BY 1 VOTE) WHEN I STOPPED PAYING MY DUES WAS AS THEY SAY ON THE COMMERICAL................."PRICELESS"!......................THE SECOND VOTE WAS DEFINATIVELY A BOOT TO THOSE WORTHLESS FOOLS!
Comment: Employee protections are all but gone thanks to the repugs. They are doing their best to bring back the era of Robber Barons and the elimination of the middle class. Without laws on the books or existing laws enforced, a union is the only way employees can protect themselves.
Comment: if wal mart treated its employees fairly it would not have to worry about who was in power. as young girl in Chicago, my mother, dad and myself worked at Sear's big mail order plant and every year Jimmy Hoffa would try to organize but he had no luck because people felt they were being treated well and saw no need to join the union . Since i am now 78 that was many years ago but treating people fairly would still have the same effect. helen
Comment: If an employer treats employees in such a way that they feel that they are being treated well, then a union has little chance to intrude. But, it is necessary to have them available to keep employers honest. Good owners and managers retire and others come to take their places and the good treatment doesn't always continue. The best deal is the one that you describe, but it continues just about as well as good princes follow benevolent kings. The chain eventually breaks.
Comment: you are right. i belonged to a union at the school i worked at later in life and it was necessary, management thought we weere peons (direct quote i overheard) and felt they should get all the benefits.
Comment: I see the pendulum at work here. It does its best work with very large systems. Large systems get large because they work well for many people. Wal Mart worked well for many people, being those who needed cheaper goods and a lot of people who needed jobs. But, large systems gain power and the power does its usual job of corrupting those who wield the power. One of the symptoms of that corruption is the abuse of the power. It could be said that trying to control the political thought and conduct of one's employees is an abuse of power by an employer who does this. One of the principles of our early beginnings was to allow religious and political freedom to our citizens. Admittedly, at first most of the political freedom was given to property owners, both land and slaves. More for land, less for slaves, each one counting for only 2/3 of a person. But, since then, these freedoms have been granted to all of us, even those who own no real estate, and certainly for a long time now, own no slaves. Ironically, what we see here is almost a master's control over a slave by Wal Mart over its employees. Think about it. You need to work. You have a job. Your employer begins to control more than his right by trying to make you think in a way that is exclusively for his benefit and none of yours by requiring you to follow his politics over your own. Voila, a new master emerges looking for a new slave. The humble beginnings. The pendulum swings up then, a little too high for gravity not to start pulling it back down toward a protective union of employees to counteract the master-servant relationship. Wal Mart is asking for it. Why not just give it to them now, before they go too far?
Comment: I appologize for my typing. I have a thumb that' has a mind of it's own today.
Comment: Hey, Bass, I'll bet that you used your thumb for a drag on your reel with a lunker on the end of the line. Worth the loss any day. Reels of old. Shakespeare.
Comment: Wait! Bass, if its Shakespeare, then it was a "reele of olde", the kind we used to cast before the spinner was invented. Hope you caught him.
Comment: Who cares? The national media is in the pocket of the Democrats and all we hear about is Wal Mart trying to brain wash managers. The media is doing the brain washing. Check you circulation and the media ratings. The people are smarter than you think, so don't believe Wal Mart could brain wash their employees. If you don't like working at Wal Mart, find another job and thank God you live in a country where you can.
Comment: Picking up on the Kentucky case stated here a few comments ago. Where would the Kantuckian go if they quit their job at Toyota? Out of the stae is the answer. Do you think those employees who work at walmart have the option to find another job? Would you be working for minimum wage, no benefits, no retirement, and no fairness in the employment process, if you had an option. In Kentucky for instance 44% of the population is at the lowest if the illiteracy level and 37% have no High School diploma. Kantuck has the lowest birth rate and the one of the oldest populations. young people who can flee are doing so but those that don't have the knowledge or skill levels can't. Don't these people who are trapped have the right to a fair wage and benefits? Are you so cold that you think these people are sub-human and deserve what they get?
Comment: Wal-Mart is on the way out, America is tired of contantly hearing about their corrupt tactics, whether it be denying their workers overtime pay (which is extremely illegal), screwing their workers out o health insurance in their most dire moments of need, or this, telling their workers how to vote (for the war party in this case). Wal-Marts leadership goes against the flow and direction our nation is headed in this new century. I urge everyone who is against corruption and this shameless coercion, to shop elsewhere. Target is a much more respectable company, and their products are of better quality as well. It's past time that Wal-Mart learns a lesson. They are only one company, albeit big, but they are not immune to punishment, and it's time their customers demanded more. Most of their customers shop there in the first place, because they are struggling to make ends meet, and Wal-Mart is cheap. Yet Wal-Mart wants to keep Republicans in power, the same people who keep the poor people poor, and make the rich, richer. Wal-Mart is a disgrace to American values, and they are a detriment to our society. DOWN WITH WAL-MART!!!
YES WE CAN!!!
Comment: Unfortunately Walmart is not on it's way out. All Walmart has to do is improve slightly and grease the Dams. like they do the G OLD P. Who will take their place? A Company that will pay higher benefits and salarys? Not likely, if that means charging higher prices for their goods. Nothing would change this dynamic without a boycott and a willingnes by the consumers to pay more. I really can't pictture that1
Comment: this journalist didn't do a complete job of researching the topic. In a Chicago area campaign influenced by Walmart, instead of backing the pro-labor candidate, Obama backed a "Walmart tool."
There was little surprising about Obama's endorsement given his self-interested allegiances to the politically powerful City Hall regime of Chicago's Mayor Daley, with whom Obama shares the same big money campaign super-consultant (David Axlerod) and numerous big money sponsors.
For the first time Mayor Daley had vetoed an ordinance by his normally obedient City Council, a measure widely supported by citizens, community organizations, and labor unions in Chicago's black, Latino, and working-class wards, and he did not want the council to bring the measure up again. It was originally passed by the council under pressure from a remarkable grassroots campaign, and would have required giant retail corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Lowes, and Home Depot to pay workers a modest minimum wage of ten dollars an hour by 2010.
Wal-Mart and Target announced that they were putting a number of "big box" retail developments on hold in Chicago, and launched a preemptive public relations strike, threatening to disinvest in the city unless a "favorable business climate" was restored. Daley made a special point of wrapping his veto in the flag of racial justice, claiming it was required to permit the flowering of economic development in the city's abandoned ghetto neighborhoods.
Pat Dowell, the recipient of significant support from the Service Employees' International Union (SEIU), was running against Tillman, and Dowell had strongly criticized Tillman for siding with Daley and Wal-Mart.
Obama needed the support of the powerful campaign finance magnet Daley, and endorsed Tillman, over labor-backed Dowell.
Obama's wife Michelle then received $51,200 in 2006 for attending a few board meetings of TreeHouse Foods, a giant firm that relied heavily on its close business relationship with Wal-Mart. The granting of high-pay/do-little board posts to the spouses of politicians is a longstanding tool of the "old," corporate-dominated politics that Senator Obama claims to reject.
Of course Mrs. Obama resigned from her position with TreeHouse in the summer of 2007, citing "increased demands on her time" in connection with her husband's presidential campaign.
Comment: It's certainly not unusual that any Business would do anything they can to keep unions out. Unions, with all of their baggage and corruption do bring benefits like retirement , medical care, higher pay and the right to defend themselves from unfair discipline.
For Walmart to try to influence (BRIBE) Elected officials to bend the law should be met with legal action from the Attorney General and the department of labor. Only thing wrong with that picture is that both of those White house appointed positions are filled with Republicans who are in the pockets of big business.
Comment: This story is very true walmart is holding meeting with there associate telling them union is no good for you because they take your money & do nothing for you. WALMART NEEDS UNIONS the north east stores is so poorly run, they abuses there managers because they are salaries payed. they have the worse insurance.
the stores are so under staff, never on one to help you. associate are very short fuse. they are looking to get raid of those been there the longest higher paid full timers to bring low pay part timers so they don't have to pay out. stores in New Jersey are in Franklyn, Newton, Rockaway Ledgewood, Mount olive / Flanders,& Hackettstown, These are the worst store run. I wish the UNIONS would step in to help give the associate better working condition .
Comment: why not just wish walmart would go out of business and everyone working such terrible jobs, get better ones? it just takes longer for the unions to make a business go broke and makes them richer.
Well,, except of course, how the unions made the U.S.; car industry, steel industry, clothing business, shoe industry, etc so much bigger and better in the US -- let me think about that as I drive home in my japeneese car, wearing my chineese made clothes, vietnamese shoes, and why every business a union leeeches onto sucks the blood out of them to death "all in the name of the good of the workers' --- don't like your working conditions? get another job.
Comment: WELL SAID...............HAVING BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN VOTING TWO UNIONS FROM OUR FAMMILY OWNED BUSINESSES AND HAVING BEEN A DUES PAYING MEMBER OF A TOTAL OF 4.................WORTHLESS, SPINELESS MONEY SPONGES!
Comment: Toyota is not union, and build their cars in Georgetown, Ky USA and Toyota make's lots of money. WHY??? NO UNIONS
Comment: Toyota makes alot of money because they manufacture and sell cars worldwide. Toyota lost money in the U.S. last quarter. Unlike the U.S. manufacurers, Toyota still turned a profit worldwide. Most of the rest of the world is not very interested in bying American cars because of the quality of product that is produced by the "big three" is less than other autos. American autos are not available in some countries, such as China, because they do not meet the mileage standards in these countries.
Comment: The fact that Toyota builds it's cars in Kentucky says it all. Kentucky and it's citizens are desparate for work and have always lived under the oppressive thumb of big business. You think everything is fine there because you've never known what it means to be allowed to speak for yourselves and question unfair labor practices. Kentucky is a human rights disaster where people are afraid to speak out in fear of losing their jobs. Just keep on keeping on and wonder why Kentucky has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the country..
To defend a company that doesn't share iy's profits by providing benefits that virtually every other corporation provides is feeble. how must it feel to be without basic benefits, decent pay and retirement when you local cop, fireman, city clerk, and the entire management staff of KYUSA & Toyota receive these benefits. Kentucky is one of those states that has actually decreased in population the last few years. Small Wonder!
Perhaps you're one of them?
Comment: You are obviously one that feels strongly that the World owes you a house, medical care, and retirement luxury --- you HATE a company for employing people? start your own company then, employ thousands, and give them the befifits YOU want -- quit talking about making others do it.
Comment: No one hates a company for employing people, they hate it when they employ people and then treat them like crap.
Comment: Are you really so thick skulled. America's beacon to the rest of the world is that we offered a better place to live. The world doesn't owe me anything. But as citizen of this country in which I take such pride, I understand that having an entire section of the population living at or below the poverty level is a travesty and a smear upon the constitution. This country wins when all people in the economy thrive. With the growing gap between those who wield the employment stick and those who work for a pittance, without basic health care at wages that do not sustain an individual let alone a family, we move farther away from America's halcyon days and regress toward the Robber Baron era. What you, Nucloid, fail to realize is that with decent wages, health care and retirement benefits there is less crime. Wide spread prosperity leads to more innovation, better school performance and an overall more prosperous nation.
Comment: newclod, Using your logic, you would applaude the sweat shop owners.. Those people should shut up and feel lucky they have jobs. If our electred reps, Armed Services, civil service workers, police and fire have retirement benefits and hospitalization, why do you begrudge it to those not lucky enough to have a government job.
I'm not trying to convince you of anything. you're way too cold for that. I'm wondering where you work and if you have benefits? I'm wondering if you have any idea why wages are at least what they are today? It's because at one time Coal Miners were subjected to the lowest kind of indenture. When mine owners owned the police force. When an employee owed more to the company at the end of the week than they earned. The Union movement came to the rescue of those who were subjected to that kind of cruelty.
Now Walmart certainly isn't going to beat anyone up who getsin their face but they are going to fire that employee for standing up for his rights. Just for your own twisted sense of what's fair, retirement benefits are not a luxury but a necessity. Try living on 1800 buck a month, You won't be able to cover insurance on a home, never buy a home.
Attention Walmart employees , if you want to be treated like a human being, take newclods advice and go somewhere else.
Comment: Mandatory political indoctrination, Democrat-bashing, voter intimidation. Yes, it's business as usual at Wal-Mart.
This summer, Wal-Mart has organized mandatory meetings across the country, all with one purpose: to intimidate rank-and-file employees into voting Republican. The company's workers have been forced to attend ideologically-charged, Wal-Mart-sponsored rants against Democrats, Barack Obama, and landmark legislation that would allow workers to vote for or against representation.
We have received several calls from workers, their stories are very similar and similarly unsettling. As one worker put it, ???they were telling me how to vote.??? Another Wal-Mart worker, Beth from Alabama, was told by Wal-Mart management that if she ???voted for John McCain, then everything would be okay.???
We believe that ideological indoctrination and political scare tactics are completely inappropriate for the workplace. Yet again, Wal-Mart???s management has crossed the line, possibly breaking the law in the process. In light of these developments, we are calling for an immediate FEC investigation into Wal-Mart's political bullying at work, but we need your help to make a real impact.
Please tell the FEC to investigate Wal-Mart???s mandatory political meetings today.
Outright political intimidation may seem too risqué for a global corporation. Not for Wal-Mart. Stories like the above are actually an emerging part of Bentonville's corporate culture.
Take 2006, when Wal-Mart organized a ???voter education program??? for employees. The company placed Terry Nelson at the helm: formerly George W. Bush's political director, and later fired for making racist ads about a Democratic politician. Unsurprisingly, Wal-Mart's ???education??? program amounted to a thin veneer over strident attacks against Democratic candidates nation wide.
Why has Wal-Mart made such an effort to control its workers' voting habits? For one, The company is terrified that Democratic gains will ensure passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. For Wal-Mart, an organized workforce could spell higher wages and better benefits???two things the company has fought tirelessly to avoid.
In the end, Wal-Mart's motives are a moot point. The company has crossed the line, again, and it's time to hold them accountable. You can help us end Wal-Mart's sleazy political schemes by taking a moment to write the FEC today.
Please write the FEC and demand an investigation into Wal-Mart's mandatory employee meetings
Thanks for joining us in support of justice in the workplace, for Wal-Mart workers everywhere,
The Team
WakeUpWalMart.com
Comment: Mandatory political indoctrination, Democrat-bashing, voter intimidation. Yes, it's business as usual at Wal-Mart.
This summer, Wal-Mart has organized mandatory meetings across the country, all with one purpose: to intimidate rank-and-file employees into voting Republican. The company's workers have been forced to attend ideologically-charged, Wal-Mart-sponsored rants against Democrats, Barack Obama, and landmark legislation that would allow workers to vote for or against representation.
We have received several calls from workers, their stories are very similar and similarly unsettling. As one worker put it, ???they were telling me how to vote.??? Another Wal-Mart worker, Beth from Alabama, was told by Wal-Mart management that if she ???voted for John McCain, then everything would be okay.???
We believe that ideological indoctrination and political scare tactics are completely inappropriate for the workplace. Yet again, Wal-Mart???s management has crossed the line, possibly breaking the law in the process. In light of these developments, we are calling for an immediate FEC investigation into Wal-Mart's political bullying at work, but we need your help to make a real impact.
Please tell the FEC to investigate Wal-Mart???s mandatory political meetings today.
Outright political intimidation may seem too risqué for a global corporation. Not for Wal-Mart. Stories like the above are actually an emerging part of Bentonville's corporate culture.
Take 2006, when Wal-Mart organized a ???voter education program??? for employees. The company placed Terry Nelson at the helm: formerly George W. Bush's political director, and later fired for making racist ads about a Democratic politician. Unsurprisingly, Wal-Mart's ???education??? program amounted to a thin veneer over strident attacks against Democratic candidates nation wide.
Why has Wal-Mart made such an effort to control its workers' voting habits? For one, The company is terrified that Democratic gains will ensure passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. For Wal-Mart, an organized workforce could spell higher wages and better benefits???two things the company has fought tirelessly to avoid.
In the end, Wal-Mart's motives are a moot point. The company has crossed the line, again, and it's time to hold them accountable. You can help us end Wal-Mart's sleazy political schemes by taking a moment to write the FEC today.
Please write the FEC and demand an investigation into Wal-Mart's mandatory employee meetings
Thanks for joining us in support of justice in the workplace, for Wal-Mart workers everywhere,
The Team
WakeUpWalMart.com
Comment: It doesn't make sense to me why ppl will support the local WalMart when the money goes outside the community, and the emplpyees are stuck in almost poverty. Support the local stores, where the money stay
