|
Comment on this article |
View comments |
Email this Article
|
|
News :: Labor |
|
Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
Current rating: 0 |
by Ricky Baldwin
Email: baldwinricky (nospam) yahoo.com (verified) |
16 Dec 2005
|
|
Informational picket this Saturday December 17 at 12 noon at the new Wal-Mart store on North Prospect. DO NOT PARK IN WAL-MART'S PARKING LOT! |
Area residents concerned about retail giant Wal-Mart’s labor practices plan an informational picket this Saturday December 17 at 12 noon in front of the newly built Wal-Mart store on North Prospect across from Meijer.
The picket is co-sponsored by C-U Coalition for a Living Wage, the C-U Jobs with Justice Organizing Committee and other local groups.
The Wake-Up Wal-Mart Campaign is “a national grassroots movement of Americans who believe by joining together we can change Wal-Mart and build a better America.”
The stated purpose of this particular local picket is to the inform the public about the corporation‘s wrongs. The groups’ grievances include:
* Our taxes subsidize Wal-Mart through city government subsidies, public housing assistance and welfare for employees, full and part-time
* Wages below the poverty line force employees to rely on government programs. Wal-Mart pays $1-$2 less per hour than all other superstores
* Wal-Mart’s health care benefits are so poor, employees are advised by managers to seek medical public assistance.
* Wal-Mart is the subject of the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in the history of America.
* Wal-Mart violates child labor laws, immigration laws and forces unpaid overtime work.
* Wal-Mart forces smaller businesses to close, impacting the entire region.
* Wal-Mart has its own “plantation factories” overseas that produce most of its goods.
* Wal-Mart drains the area of economic well-being and purchasing power, then moves on to build another big box store, leaving an empty shell behind.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend. But Wal-Mart's parking lot is private property, and the Organizing Committee cautions against parking there.
To reach the C-U Jobs with Justice Organizing Committee, email cu_jwj_forming (at) mail.com. |
See also:
http://www.wakeupwalmart.com
|
This work is in the public domain |
|
Re: Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
by Ironic
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Dec 2005
|
Here's a union that employs workers 6.00 an hour with no beneftis to picket a Walmart that starts out at 6.75/hr.
www.lasvegasweekly.com/2005/09/08/awsi1.html
Got to love it. |
|
Wal-Mart vs. Meijer |
by Star
star (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
19 Dec 2005
|
|
What are the differences in business practices between Wal-Mart and Meijer? What are Meijer's benefits? What does Meijer pay its employees? Does Meijer sell products manufactured overseas by cheap labor? |
|
Re: Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
by Ironic
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 Dec 2005
|
|
i am surprise that there are no complaints about the substandard Union pay that this Union forks out to pay the Picketers to the Las Vegas Walmart. Are you saying that Unions should not pratice what tthey demand of their employers? |
|
Re: Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
by Brian Dolinar
bdolinar (nospam) uiuc.edu (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
23 Dec 2005
|
California Jury Awards $172M to Wal-Mart Employees
And in California, a jury has awarded $172 million dollars to over 110,000 current and former Wal-Mart employees who said they were illegally denied lunch breaks. The jury found that Wal-Mart violated a state law that guarantees an unpaid half-hour lunch break to workers who work at least six hours, and grants them an extra hour's pay if they are denied this break. Wal-Mart says it will appeal the ruling. The case is one of around 40 across the country where Wal-Mart stands accused of workplace violations. |
|
Re: Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
by Ricky Baldwin
baldwinricky (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
26 Dec 2005
|
Thanks, Brian-
And let's keep some perspective. Wal-Mart is one of the largest employers in the world. They are not the worst, but their (sometimes illegal) labor and environmental practices have a downward effect on other employers because of their size and influence. Likewise their impact on small communities and neighborhood businesses. Should a union employ temp workers at low wages? Of course not. That's why unions need staff unions. Incidentally, it's also why most unions need to make some big changes anyway (the very idea of paying temps to picket means your own membership needs some internal organizing). It certainly doesn't mean that Wal-Mart isn't worse, doesn't need a union or shouldn't be fought. |
|
Re: Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
by Ironic
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
27 Dec 2005
|
|
Unions should practice what they preach. Paying workers substandard wages is not acceptable under any circumstances. How can a Union negotiate unfair wages if they do not follow their own standards? I'll bet the Union Leaders were not making substandard wages!!! |
|
Re: Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
by Ricky Baldwin
baldwinricky (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
01 Jan 2006
|
Dear anonymous "Ironic"-
I think we already said that. And there is a solution, also mentioned. A lot of employers pay substandard wages. They are all wrong. They all need unions, including some unions themselves, and they all need community pressure to change.
But Wal-Mart employs several thousand times as many low-wage workers as UFCW on that picket line, and many times more than most other employers in the country. They also deny lunchbreaks, discriminate against women, keep workers after hours without pay, and on and on. They are a target not because they are the only ones, but because they are one of the biggest, fastest growing, most influential in terms of the effect they have on other employers, and because they are one of the nastiest in fighting their employees efforts to correct these problems. They are a target because if we win with Wal-Mart, we win for a helluva lot of workers AND we have a huge positive effect on other employers. |
|
Re: Locals aim to "Wake Up Wal-Mart" |
by guest
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
03 Jan 2006
|
I am not sure what to make of Wal-Mart. Check this paper cited in the paper (http://www.nber.org/papers/w11782).
You can follow more at http://walmartwatch.com/blog. |
