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Walmart Nervous as Black Friday Strike Nears


jugoso

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Plans for Black Friday walkouts at Walmart stores have spread dramatically, in what has been dubbed the first “viral strike.” Organizers suggest that protests may hit 1,000 stores, including what the group calls “marquee events” in Chicago, Miami, Seattle, Dallas, Milwaukee, Washington, D.C., and three California cities. Plans for actions at more Walmart stores have been added daily.

“We’re unwilling to stand by while our co-workers face retaliation,” said Dallas Walmart worker Colby Harris. “We will make sure Black Friday is memorable for [Walmart], inside and outside the stores, whether it be passing out leaflets or striking.”

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/22

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According to the op; A race to the bottom on labor standards? Wow. And for a company that is revolutionizing employee healthcare cutting deals with certain hospitals to afford employees FREE HEART SURGERY transplants included and FREE SPINE SURGERY!

You know if Walmart unionized with $13hr minimums there are going to be as many disgruntled shoppers as the will be Walmart employees out of work when the prices get jacked up. How do you think Walmart became so successful? The ability to provide cheap prices. And don't tell me what the Walton family has. It's their freaking business. When you employ 1.4 million people you deserve to reap the rewards.

Am I reading the article right? From what I gather there are no strikes. Just protests hoping to encourage strikes. They also claim to not want to cause disruption... That's what a protest is. Besides, if these protesters get I the way of Black Friday shoppers, oh man it ain't gonna be good.

I also don't think the unions care so much about the employees as they care for the 1.4 million due payers. Typical left... Can't stand not taking what's not theirs. Walmart don't mess around.

From the op... Walmart has shut stores in Canada that voted union, and when meat-cutters at a Texas store voted in UFCW in 2000, the corporation eliminated all meat-cutter jobs by moving to pre-cut meat.

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According to the op; A race to the bottom on labor standards? Wow. And for a company that is revolutionizing employee healthcare cutting deals with certain hospitals to afford employees FREE HEART SURGERY transplants included and FREE SPINE SURGERY!

You know if Walmart unionized with $13hr minimums there are going to be as many disgruntled shoppers as the will be Walmart employees out of work when the prices get jacked up. How do you think Walmart became so successful? The ability to provide cheap prices. And don't tell me what the Walton family has. It's their freaking business. When you employ 1.4 million people you deserve to reap the rewards.

Am I reading the article right? From what I gather there are no strikes. Just protests hoping to encourage strikes. They also claim to not want to cause disruption... That's what a protest is. Besides, if these protesters get I the way of Black Friday shoppers, oh man it ain't gonna be good.

I also don't think the unions care so much about the employees as they care for the 1.4 million due payers. Typical left... Can't stand not taking what's not theirs. Walmart don't mess around.

From the op... Walmart has shut stores in Canada that voted union, and when meat-cutters at a Texas store voted in UFCW in 2000, the corporation eliminated all meat-cutter jobs by moving to pre-cut meat.

Walmart's non-union workers are calling for better conditions, living wages, the possibility of working full-time, an end to retaliation for speaking out, and basic dignity. We should expect nothing less from a corporation that posted $3.64bn in profits for the third quarter alone and has already registered $444bn in sales this year.

Walmart heir Robson Walton, whose net worth is $26bn, took in more than $420m in dividends last year, while the average employee makes $8.81 an hour or $15,500 a year. The Walton family has more wealth than the bottom 42 per cent of American families combined. In 2010, CEO Michael Duke's annual salary of $35m gives him more in an hour than a full-time employee makes in an entire year.

http://www.commondre...ew/2012/11/22-5

A set up like this is bound to go boom at some point. Are you actually defending Walmart´s treatment of emplyees and think it´s no problem?

Edited by jugoso
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Walmart's non-union workers are calling for better conditions, living wages, the possibility of working full-time, an end to retaliation for speaking out, and basic dignity. We should expect nothing less from a corporation that posted $3.64bn in profits for the third quarter alone and has already registered $444bn in sales this year.

Walmart heir Robson Walton, whose net worth is $26bn, took in more than $420m in dividends last year, while the average employee makes $8.81 an hour or $15,500 a year. The Walton family has more wealth than the bottom 42 per cent of American families combined. In 2010, CEO Michael Duke's annual salary of $35m gives him more in an hour than a full-time employee makes in an entire year.

http://www.commondre...ew/2012/11/22-5

A set up like this is bound to go boom at some point. Are you actually defending Walmart´s treatment of emplyees and think it´s no problem?

Sure I'm defending a company that employs 1.4m people and provides excellent healthcare to all on their plans. Sure I'm defending a company that is so evil that they're jam packed all hours of the day because of their decent prices. Yea, they've hurt the mom and pop shops but as liberals like to say so often, it's a sign of the times and its time to keep up with them. These aren't the filthy dangerous conditions of Rockefeller era corporate exploitation of employees.

You know what else I'm defending? The employees right to leave the company. Sam Walton doesn't have a gun to their heads. Besides, who in the world applies to Walmart expecting anything great, especially in terms of wages. You apply. They review. They make job offer. You accept. Where in any of that does fault belong to anyone but the employee?

Edited by -Mr_Fess-
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while the average employee makes $8.81 an hour or $15,500 a year. The Walton family has more wealth than the bottom 42 per cent of American families combined.

My girl works in a hospital and belongs to the union. She makes 11hr and about the same a year as above. She doesn't get free catastrophic surgery either. So all a union is going to do for Walmart create job losses, see earlier quote from the op about walmart eliminating unionized meat cutters, and raise prices.

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Just happened upon a perfect example of unions butting in where they aren't needed. So many times they just disrupt and interfer. Read on...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/just-in-time-for-thanksgiving-union-strike-aims-to-snarl-lax-traffic/

So why is the SEIU trying to disrupt LAX on one of its busiest days of the year?

Well, according to union leaders, airport management has “violat[ed] the city’s living-wage ordinance” and has “eliminated affordable healthcare for more than 400 workers.”

“The union says about 400 airport workers were left without a contract earlier this year when Aviation Safeguards, a unit of Command Security Corp. of Parsippany, N.J., terminated contracts with the Service Employees International Union and withdrew all health insurance,” Contra Costa Times reports.

However, what SEIU leaders fail to mention is the fact that a) Aviation Safeguards has been trying to get out of the union since last year and B ) Aviation Safeguards employees are not in favor of the Thanksgiving-eve demonstration.

“We petitioned to leave the SEIU almost a year ago, and the contract ended,” Frederick McNeil of Aviation Safeguards said. “And now they’re bringing in outsiders to block travelers who are just trying to get home for the holidays. It’s ridiculous. People need to understand that SEIU doesn’t speak for the employees at Aviation Safeguards.”

Tell that to Mike Garcia, president of SEIU United Service Workers West.

“By allowing the situation to continue, LAX is punishing the good contractors who play by the rules,” said Garcia. “Things at the airport have gotten out of control, and workers are ready to take action.”

Rally organizers say they expect approximately 1,000 union members to participate in the demonstration.

Most of the SEIU protesters “will not even be LAX workers. They don’t work here and they don’t know our company,” said Andres Cazares, who has been with Aviation Safeguards for 19 years.

Edited by -Mr_Fess-
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My girl works in a hospital and belongs to the union. She makes 11hr and about the same a year as above. She doesn't get free catastrophic surgery either. So all a union is going to do for Walmart create job losses, see earlier quote from the op about walmart eliminating unionized meat cutters, and raise prices.

Could you fill me in on this catastrophic surgery thing and the excellent health.care packges they provide for all their employees? I´m unfamiliar with it. I think the employees are asking for a wage that they can live on. Paying employees an average wage of less than 9$ /hour while raking in huge profits is just being greedy and selfish IMO. Everybody has the right to be greedy but the people who really get my respect are those that share the wealth and make sure that their employees are taken care of.

"Not all who increase their wealth are wise." Aaron Feuerstein

Malden's CEO and owner, Aaron Feuerstein, became the focus of broad press attention seven years ago, when a fire ravaged much of his factory and he decided to shun the idea of resuming his operations overseas, and rebuilt the mill in the same Massachusetts community where it had stood. What was more, and even more remarkable, he continued to pay his thousands of idled workers -- whose families were dependent on his factory -- for the months that passed until it was operative again.

http://www.aish.com/ci/be/48881397.html

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I keep hearing Walmart has close to 80% of it's employees on government assistance for food stamps and medicare, more so than any other corporation of its size. That wouldn't be because of low wages and because of those low, low prices would it?

That's pathetic, if it's true.

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Could you fill me in on this catastrophic surgery thing and the excellent health.care packges they provide for all their employees? I´m unfamiliar with it. I think the employees are asking for a wage that they can live on. Paying employees an average wage of less than 9$ /hour while raking in huge profits is just being greedy and selfish IMO. Everybody has the right to be greedy but the people who really get my respect are those that share the wealth and make sure that their employees are taken care of.

"Not all who increase their wealth are wise." Aaron Feuerstein

Malden's CEO and owner, Aaron Feuerstein, became the focus of broad press attention seven years ago, when a fire ravaged much of his factory and he decided to shun the idea of resuming his operations overseas, and rebuilt the mill in the same Massachusetts community where it had stood. What was more, and even more remarkable, he continued to pay his thousands of idled workers -- whose families were dependent on his factory -- for the months that passed until it was operative again.

http://www.aish.com/ci/be/48881397.html

That's a great story but that can't be expected of everyone. Sam Walton, who is dead, started out with $5000 that he saved and $20000 loan from his father in law in the fourties and grew into the worlds largest private employer. That's an achievement no one else can claim. Their profits average out to about $400,000 per store. Seams reasonable to me for such a crowning achievement. About the healthcare thing look it up. Search "Walmart heart surgeries" and you'll find what I'm talking about.

I keep hearing Walmart has close to 80% of it's employees on government assistance for food stamps and medicare, more so than any other corporation of its size. That wouldn't be because of low wages and because of those low, low prices would it?

That's pathetic, if it's true.

It's not Walmarts fault these people haven't made the best life decisions. And to be technical, Walmart doesn't "have" anyone on assistance. Anyone applying to Walmart isn't looking for a career. They pay above minimum wage on average and offer more and pay more than many other similar public service jobs.

And without those low wages there wouldn't be low prices. As a consumer it makes sense.

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Let me put the profits another way before I go out for thanksgiving....

2M employees, SAMs club included

3.4 B profit/ 2M = $1700 per employee.

That's extremely reasonable. Many companies profit far more per employee than that.

Hi I'm Walmart and I'll pay you $16,000 a year plus benefits plus free heart surgeries and spine surgeries in exchange for $1700 on my end. Sound like a deal?

To put it yet another way, if Walmart operated as non profit each employee could only make an extra $1700 a year. So many of you really have no idea how to run a business. If Walmart took half the profits it currently does then each employee would only get another $850 a year. So eliminating profits and assuming no union the most Walmart could afford to pay its employees would be around $0.80 give or take per hour. So unless you can point out flaws in my math. You all have no idea what you're talking about. Let the owners reap the benefits and either quit complaining about them or aspire to be like them.

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My bad, I just noticed the 3B profit was for one quarter. So multiply everything I said by 4 andyou have a top pay raiseof $3.20 an hour which is significant but remember that also means absolutely no profit for for walmart. So in all likelyhood they may be able to muster an extra $1hr per employee but nowhere close to $13 plus union involvement.

Edited by -Mr_Fess-
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This might be interesting for you all to watch.

WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE is a feature length documentary that uncovers a retail giant's assault on families and American values.

The film dives into the deeply personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to fight a goliath. A working mother is forced to turn to public assistance to provide healthcare for her two small children. A Missouri family loses its business after Wal-Mart is given over $2 million to open its doors down the road. A mayor struggles to equip his first responders after Wal-Mart pulls out and relocates just outside the city limits. A community in California unites, takes on the giant, and wins!

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jazb24Q2s94[/media]

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It's not Walmarts fault these people haven't made the best life decisions. And to be technical, Walmart doesn't "have" anyone on assistance. Anyone applying to Walmart isn't looking for a career. They pay above minimum wage on average and offer more and pay more than many other similar public service jobs.

And without those low wages there wouldn't be low prices. As a consumer it makes sense.

Alright, let me see if I got this right. It's a case of: You take what the devil has to offer, it's not his fault that you're stuck between a rock and a hard place and haven't been able to get out yet. You were born in that predicament, even though he sees what your going through. He's only taking advantage of the situation your in and knows you have no other place to go for the time being. So either you hope for the best and take his offer, and pray it doesn't get any worse for you or that a miracle (maybe a better job offer from another company out of the blue) pulls you out of your entire miserable experience. Otherwise, you're on your own and good luck!

Well...can't argue with that, I guess.

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That's a great story but that can't be expected of everyone.

It certainly is a great story and obviously can´t be expected from everyone but that guy gets my utmost respect for the care and consideration he had for his employees. There must be a happy-medium in there somewhere,no?

. Search "Walmart heart surgeries" and you'll find what I'm talking about.

Well in my search it appears it wasn´t done out of kindness of heart but rather to save money.

“Walmart anticipates that the program will help reduce its costs as it receives bundled pricing from the healthcare organizations, but it cannot project the amount it might save,” Reuters said, adding that the company believes that it currently covers “about 60 percent of total cost of healthcare for employees on its healthcare plans, including out-of-pocket and premium expenses.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112712560/walmart-heart-spine-surgery-101312/

They have made some other changes in their health-care policies also:

Walmart is increasing employee health insurance premiums and no longer offering the coverage for new part-timers because of rising costs.

Walmart informed employees last week that it is eliminating healthcare for future part-time employees who work less than 24 hours a week, the New York Times reported.

The nation’s largest private employer with 1.4 million workers, most of whom are full-time, made the changes as part of its open-enrollment period for next year’s coverage. Walmart does not disclose the percentage of full-time employees.

The company is continuing coverage for current part-timers, who previously didn’t have a minimum number of hours they had to work but were eligible after one year of employment.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/10/walmart-cuts-employee-health-care-benefits/

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No Walmart at all. I liked things the way they were before giant chain stores. Every town and city had businesses owned and run by locals... who employed Locals. A lot of the goods were even produced Locally. It all made more sense , and was more efficient than shipping and trucking 'imports' every which way.

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My bad, I just noticed the 3B profit was for one quarter. So multiply everything I said by 4 andyou have a top pay raiseof $3.20 an hour which is significant but remember that also means absolutely no profit for for walmart. So in all likelyhood they may be able to muster an extra $1hr per employee but nowhere close to $13 plus union involvement.

how is that 3B in PROFIT trickling down to the average worker? It's not. The 1 percent are getting richer, their workers qualify for food stamps.

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i work at wal-mart i havent noticed any union stuff at all. it is probably because im not in a huge city. But honestly we dont need any sort of union i get paid more then my freinds who work at krogers. And krogers is union

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This might be interesting for you all to watch.

Ok, without watching it I get the gist and the gripe but we, or at least I am talking about Walmart and their employees. I'd like to live in simpler times too but it is what it is.

Alright, let me see if I got this right. It's a case of: You take what the devil has to offer, it's not his fault that you're stuck between a rock and a hard place and haven't been able to get out yet. You were born in that predicament, even though he sees what your going through. He's only taking advantage of the situation your in and knows you have no other place to go for the time being. So either you hope for the best and take his offer, and pray it doesn't get any worse for you or that a miracle (maybe a better job offer from another company out of the blue) pulls you out of your entire miserable experience. Otherwise, you're on your own and good luck!

Well...can't argue with that, I guess.

I can argue that the devil seeks out his victims. Walmarts "victims" come to them and it's hardly a case of dealing with the devil. When someone interviews for a part timejob at Walmart they aren't being fed a lot of false hopes. It's more like they offer you a position with a certain amount of on average hours and this is what we can pay you. None of it sounds too good to be true as the way the devil would strike his deal.

It certainly is a great story and obviously can´t be expected from everyone but that guy gets my utmost respect for the care and consideration he had for his employees. There must be a happy-medium in there somewhere,no?

Well in my search it appears it wasn´t done out of kindness of heart but rather to save money.

“Walmart anticipates that the program will help reduce its costs as it receives bundled pricing from the healthcare organizations, but it cannot project the amount it might save,” Reuters said, adding that the company believes that it currently covers “about 60 percent of total cost of healthcare for employees on its healthcare plans, including out-of-pocket and premium expenses.

http://www.redorbit....surgery-101312/

They have made some other changes in their health-care policies also:

Walmart is increasing employee health insurance premiums and no longer offering the coverage for new part-timers because of rising costs.

Walmart informed employees last week that it is eliminating healthcare for future part-time employees who work less than 24 hours a week, the New York Times reported.

The nation’s largest private employer with 1.4 million workers, most of whom are full-time, made the changes as part of its open-enrollment period for next year’s coverage. Walmart does not disclose the percentage of full-time employees.

The company is continuing coverage for current part-timers, who previously didn’t have a minimum number of hours they had to work but were eligible after one year of employment.

http://abcnews.go.co...-care-benefits/

That guy gets all my respect too.

So what if the surgues are about saving a few bucks too? It's not like there isn't anything positive for employees under their coverage. It's free freaking heart transplants! As for future employees well first they don't have to work there and second I can see the reasoning behind insuring new low hour workers. They probably can't put forth enough production to afford the extra costs but if full time employees and all current employees are covered thats great and if the majority of workers are full time as your link suggests then it stands to reason that many new employees will be covered too since many will be full time and many more may get more than 24 hours.

No Walmart at all. I liked things the way they were before giant chain stores. Every town and city had businesses owned and run by locals... who employed Locals. A lot of the goods were even produced Locally. It all made more sense , and was more efficient than shipping and trucking 'imports' every which way.

I can definately dig that. Unfortunately the market demands walmart and not the businesses of yesteryear.

how is that 3B in PROFIT trickling down to the average worker? It's not. The 1 percent are getting richer, their workers qualify for food stamps.

First, I never said it trickles down. What it does is keep the company going.

If you follow my math at all you would understand that every walmart employee could receive an extra $3.20hr at most IF walmart took ZERO profits. If they took half profits they could pay an extra $1.60hr. But let's be realistic. Those profits don't all get pocketed. They are needed for working capital and you know what? I had a whole bunch of other thoughts and reasonings but the turkey's getting the best of me. I'm real real tired. To put it simply, any realistic raises across the employee spectrum won't anount to too much more and you'll still be complaing about fairness. And to be more realistic, $13hr minimum plus whatever other acinine expenditures union involvement would cost just can not happen. If it did,then walmart couldn't provide items at the costs they do. In fact, I couldn't see any less than double if they were to still make profits. Then the demand would decline resulting in less new stores first and less presently operating stores later which means many many less jobs and at this point I hope you catch my drift. All this nonsense WILL affect the employees. A job is better than no job. Geezus, I have so much more to say but I must sleep. Ninja, quit hating rich people 'just becasue'. Do some research, then some math and try and understand how a business works. From everything I can come up with, if Walmart is to sustain, then $8.81hr on average is the only way for walmart to do business the way they do it providing low costs to consumers and nearly 2M jobs including Sams Club.

Edited by -Mr_Fess-
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i work at wal-mart i havent noticed any union stuff at all. it is probably because im not in a huge city. But honestly we dont need any sort of union i get paid more then my freinds who work at krogers. And krogers is union

Besides, how can anyone argue with this guy? A Walmart employee. Thank you Spartan and goodnight! Edited by -Mr_Fess-
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No Walmart at all.

and 1+million employes will be getting welfare\unemploymnet, instead of getting paid, and pay taxes.

just brilliant, lol.

Edited by aztek
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and 1+million employes will be getting welfare\unemploymnet, instead of getting paid, and pay taxes.

just brilliant, lol.

I'm saying it would be better if chain stores never came into existence in the first place..... Problem averted. And yes , i am brilliant :)

* [spelled existence wrong] " lol "

Edited by lightly
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Besides, how can anyone argue with this guy? A Walmart employee. Thank you Spartan and goodnight!

Yes, you are correct. You never want to argue with a Walmart employee.

and 1+million employes will be getting welfare\unemploymnet, instead of getting paid, and pay taxes.

just brilliant, lol.

Yes. you are correct. If Walmart wasn´t around there wouldn´t be other stores for these people to work at nor other stores for people to shop at.

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