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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 1:36:01 PM | This is what qualifies as free enterprise these days?
- receiving millions of dollars in tax breaks
- working to undermine unions by paying union informants
- illegally firing employees over union organizing activities.
- discrimination against women, disabled
- use of illegal alien labor and unsafe working conditions
- use of child labor (recently agreed to pay a pathetic $135,000 to settle charges)
Yes, these free enterprise concepts have made the Walton family amongst the richest in the US. I'm sure the management has it better than the grunts. I'm sure you had a good retirement plan and insurance unlike most of the wal mart employees.
The family has a combined forture of $95 Billion. It's given 1% of it's wealth to charity.
By comparison, Bill Gates gave an estimated $3 billion to their charity in November.
That one gift is three times more than the richest family has ever given to charity in their entire lifetimes.
Thanks for giving back to the community! | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 1:51:36 PM | - receiving millions of dollars in tax breaks
...by bringing billions of dollars of tax revenue into the municipalities where they operate.
- working to undermine unions by paying union informants
...the manager who was accused of this was asked to resign after 27 years with the company. It has not been proven.
- illegally firing employees over union organizing activities.
...I dont buy this one either, but whats your hard-on for unions? I was a member of ALPA for years and they didn't do ANYTHING for me right up to the day that they signed the agreement that allowed the company to lay me off. At least in MY industry, some of the most successful companies are those that are LEAST unionized (i/e Jetblue)
- discrimination against women, disabled
...This is prepostrous. Your spouting these allegations as if they were fact when, realistically, it is just liberal garbage that you heard on talk-radio.
- use of illegal alien labor and unsafe working conditions
...The illegal alien labor was performed by a CONTRACTOR. The contractor was terminated when Wal-Mart discovered what was happening.
If you dont want to shop there, by all means -- stay away. But come on. They're certainly not evil. They're a large corporation and, as such, they're going to be a target for criticism and have infrastructure/control problems due to their size.
When I hear the talking-heads of the liberal media spout off about Wal-Mart I have to ask if it passes "the Target Test".
What I mean is, would I find anything different if I looked at Target or K-Mart. If not, then its simply the unions and the liberals trying to insight riots with a bunch of emotion-laden buzz-words.
1.5 million employees owe their livelihoods to Wal-Mart. Slavery is illegal. I would guess that if things weren't that good they would excercise their right to find other employment. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 1:55:17 PM | | Maybe Erik will be kind enough to let people know how much of their money they should give to charity in the future. I feel like he's running for office as a democrat! Hold on, buddy! Gotta be elected before you spend other peoples money! | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 3:00:01 PM | well, chat
"..by bringing billions of dollars of tax revenue into the municipalities where they operate."
I would argue that walmart typically replaces the existing business and higher paying jobs with lower paying jobs. They are not creating new business.
Also, take florida for instance. Wal Mart makes $10 billion in profit. Yet, they received $50 million in Florida taxpayer money to finance their expansion in the state between 1992 and 2002. 13% of their Florida workforce is eligible for Medicaid and the average salary is near poverty level. So they hit up taxpayers by receiving breaks and then again by pushing employees towards medicaid and welfare.
A report by Good Jobs first a Washington DC non-profit estimates that 1/3 of the wal mart stores have received some government aid totalling $1 billion.
A report by the UC Berkeley Labor Center claims that reliance by Wal-Mart workers on public assistance programs such as food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing in California cost taxpayers about $86 million a year.
This is not free enterprise, this is socialized business.
The Union informant allegation is now with the US attorney's office. Coughlin was a top executive. It says a lot about the internal culture.
"- discrimination against women, disabled
...This is prepostrous. Your spouting these allegations as if they were fact when, realistically, it is just liberal garbage that you heard on talk-radio."
- On February 24, 2005, a jury returned awarded $7.5 million in favor of Patrick S. Brady in his disability discrimination lawsuit against Wal Mart.
- Walmart is facing the largest gender discrimination lawsuit in History. Involving 1.5 million women. The case has not been heard, but it's hard to discount a record breaking case.
"...The illegal alien labor was performed by a CONTRACTOR. The contractor was terminated when Wal-Mart discovered what was happening."
Wal Mart paid $11 million dollars to settle the case. You don't pay that much to settle without some complicity. The contractors only paid $4 million.
From the Washington Post March 18, 2005
" U.S. officials described the settlement's dollar figure as the largest of its kind. "
"- illegally firing employees over union organizing activities."
This year the company advised it was closing a Canadian store after it recently voted to organize. In texas in 2000 after meat cutters announced they were joining the UFCW, wal mart announced it was switching to pre-packaged meat and laid off meat cutters company wide.
Like I said, if wal mart moved into my area, there would be a lot of good paying union jobs lost at the existing groceries stores.
So, I doubt if Kmart and Target are in the same position, but then again, I don't shop there either. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 3:05:35 PM |
- receiving millions of dollars in tax breaks ...by bringing billions of dollars of tax revenue into the municipalities where they operate. The tax base was there already. I thought, and was prettyb sure that, Walmart got tax exempt for their first x number of years, thus, allocating those years worth of taxes PREVIOUSLYcollected from people living in the community, and who would have spent there tax dollars there either way...*cough* *cough* ....on more expensive items (thus more taxes)... into the coffers of Walmart. - working to undermine unions by paying union informants
...the manager who was accused of this was asked to resign after 27 years with the company. It has not been proven It has also "not been proven" in the various other cases where the "manager was fired after so many years" in other locales i.e. Quebec. - use of illegal alien labor and unsafe working conditions
...The illegal alien labor was performed by a CONTRACTOR. The contractor was terminated when Wal-Mart discovered what was happening It is also my understanding that contractors will not be HIRED unless they tak ethe risk of being expsed for such, THUS, doing such in the first place. 1.5 million employees owe their livelihoods to Wal-Mart NIce to see where many of these "livelihoods" stack up to the poverty line. A livelihood which allows you to go foodless for half a week is not much of alivelihood. I suppose that we are all just speculating though. *yawn* I could bring sources from the net and news etc etc etc but, of course, they are just speculating too until an official body proves and signs off on said speculation...no? *shrugs n goes back to his spaghetti* | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 5:55:29 PM | | You know i try my best to maitain my purchase Canadian made. I did purchase aprodust once in Wal-Mart. It is getting harder and harder too do. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 11:05:45 PM | you know whats really amazing?
that a Wal-Mart thread has gotten this many replies
 | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2005 11:36:06 PM | I won't shop there for four main reasons:
I saw a documentary thing on Sam Walton, the founder of Wall-Mart years ago. The cheap **stard was filthy rich, but still wouldn't buy his own newspaper, he would take the copy from the local barber shop or cafe. Frugal is good, cheap when you are a millionaire is NOT.
As a small business owner, I hate it when a Wall-Mart comes in and drives a lot of small companies out of business. I don't know about the rest of the continent, but in Washington State, Small Businesses are the life-blood of the state and contribute the most jobs.
I have heard about the practice that Wall-Mart has of treating employees badly so they will quit before a promotion or pay raise, so they can keep paying low wages to newer employees. I dated a lady that worked there and she described that exact environment.
Wall-Mart makes this big deal about their products being "Made in America" or something along those lines. The reality is quite the opposite from what I understand. The more products that are imported, the less jobs here and the more dependancy we have on other countries, which translates to more problems in the future - in my opinion. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/13/2006 2:43:37 AM | ok number 1, you people are getting way to personal about this, if you choose to shop at walmart that is your choice.
number 2 I DO NOT!!! shop at walmart, i support my local businesses, canned vegetables are the same price at walmart as they are at thrifys, not that i would ever buy canned vegetables anyways (sick!). if you think that shopping at walmart is a necessity, then you really have not done your homework, sure bread is like ten cents cheeper at wallmart than at another store, but just imagine how cheap it would be if you MADE YOUR OWN!!! twenty dollars for supplies and you have at least fifty loaves of bread, walmart cannot beat that! guess whats cheeper than vegetables??? vegetable seeds, do it yourself its not hard!!! yah i sound like some sort of granola eating, island living hippie, but im not, im a student, i grew up with a single mum on a VERY fixed income, somehow she managed to make it work without resorting to shopping at walmart!
number 3 they are not a good company to work for, they prey on the uneducated jobless people in however many countries they're in, they over work them, under pay them and basically screw them around, you can pretty much get paid the same ammount from welfare most of the time. and i know someone else brought up the discrimination against women factor...and someone else rebutted it...its true, a female teller will start out making at least 0.40 cents less than a male teller, they are doing the SAME job
number 4 ALL big box stores are bad, they manipulate communities to wonder what they ever did before walmart, they push out the small businesses, they rent spaces in their complexes/stip malls that only a franchise can afford. i used to be a HUGE supporter of zellers, but more and more i see them trying to be like walmart to compete with walmart, i shopped there because they were different, and now some american just bought out HBC and all hell is going to break loose!
anyways i think thats all that im going to say...except pilot loser whatever your name is...man what is it about walmart that makes you support it soooo vehemously??? i bet you are a huge bush supporter arent you...with your big flag waving in the wind...man i just dont get people like you...so blind | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/13/2006 2:58:10 AM | Wal-mart does suck, they're not even that much cheaper than other places they just say they are in the commercials and people seem to believe it.
I like how all the places I buy my food, clothes, housewares etc... are small business where I know the owner by his/her first name and have a friendly human encounter free with every purchase. I'm far from rich and I actually find my method cheaper than shopping at wal-mart for everything.
I feel good giving my money to a business where the owner has a face, a friendly one at that. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/17/2006 4:38:30 PM |
Its one of the ones with the gas-pumps in the parking lot. If you pay with your Wal-Mart credit card you get a .03 cent per gallon discount. I'm sold!
Ohh yea your so smart. Use the credit card to save .03 measly cents a gallon but then pay the 25% a year intrest. Oh that is such a good idea.
At least Wall Mart practices morality and doesn't sell girly magazines and other immoral items.
They practive no morality! They come into towns and bully there way in. They create jobs that are at or below the poverty level and anyone who says there benefits are great have never really had a good job with good benefits. Everyone of there benefits have some kind of gimmick to them. Want and example? There family health insurance. Here is how it works.
If you are a family of 4 and have a 500 deductible you would think that once you have met your deductible your insurance would kick in... wrong! Everyone must meet there deductible before they pay anything.
I worked for Walmart for a while and trust me they dont care about there people and there benefits are aweful and they always are getting worse. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/17/2006 6:41:05 PM | | Wal-Mart is evil. I never go there. See the dvd "The High Cost of Low Price" and you'll never want to go there again. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/17/2006 8:31:23 PM |
you know whats really amazing?
that a Wal-Mart thread has gotten this many replies
berry: There's an even bigger thread on Walmart in the Politics forum. 
~ Panda | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/18/2006 12:46:51 AM | Wal-Mart is evil. I never go there.
UFCW is a greater evil. As long as Walmart continues to resist unionization, I will continue to shop there.
I make it a point to shop when the union is picketing. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/19/2006 6:10:41 PM | | Union-busting is what's part of the problem. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 3:04:38 PM |
Union-busting is what's part of the problem.
No, corrupt "company" unions that protect longer-term employees at the expense of the newer hires are part of the problem. Unions that would allow an assistant manager (notice the word "manager") to cast a vote for his father-in-law as union president, and later be rewarded with his own store, are part of the problem. Unions that let members ratify a contract that's not even finished yet are part of the problem. Abuse of power, politics, and obsolescence are part of the problem.
Union-busting is the result. | |
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rks58
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Joined: 1/28/2006
Msg: 92 | |
| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 3:59:19 PM |
No, corrupt "company" unions that protect longer-term employees at the expense of the newer hires are part of the problem. Unions that would allow an assistant manager (notice the word "manager") to cast a vote for his father-in-law as union president, and later be rewarded with his own store, are part of the problem. Unions that let members ratify a contract that's not even finished yet are part of the problem. Abuse of power, politics, and obsolescence are part of the problem.
Sounds to me like someone, or a member of their family, didn't get the job/promotion they thought they 'deserved'. That's a lot of bitterness to be directing at a group of people who just want to level the playing field by banding together for strength in numbers. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 4:10:36 PM |
The fact that the largest company in America got there by exporting jobs to a country in which if you complain too much about stuff you get jailed is appalling.
I don't understand this; what jobs are being exported?
If you're referring to all the junk that Wal-Mart sells that's also made in China, Korea, another other similar countries, then you may be mistaken. Wal-Mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. Wal-Mart buys their merchandise for resale, and every other retailer does the same thing. The George Forman grill bought at Wal-Mart is made at the same factory as the George Foreman grill purchased at a locally owned grocery store. Buying the grill from either store supports, to some degree, the factory in China that made it. Buying the grill from a locally owned store has the exact same effect on the factory as buying the grill from a huge chain such as Wal-Mart.
Thus, I don't see how buying from Wal-Mart is considered "exporting jobs". The only way to prevent from "exporting jobs" that I am aware of is to only buy merchandise manufactured in your home country. This can be done while still shopping in Wal-Mart, as they also carry US or Canada made items.
If you had another meaning, please explain. | |
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Ryan20
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Joined: 10/24/2005
Msg: 94 | |
| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 4:23:30 PM | | I can see the sides of both pro walmart and pro union however, I think Wal Mart is an evil corperation and its distgusting, I have watched the movie and I know all about UFCW, the fact that I can walk into a WalMart with a tshirt of hat with a Union logo on it, even if Im not necassarily with any union, I will kicked out, Wal Mart should give their employees the right to unionize, Im not saying they should or have to, I just think they should be able to have the chance to, Wal Mart comes into your town with their low prices, wipes out the small businesses and then jacks their prices up, not to mention the few stores that did get unionize were shut down, this is a company that should give their employees their rights as human beings or get the hell out | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 4:29:16 PM | I shop at walmart frequently. They are a great deal cheaper than the regular supermarkets around here. To me and millions of others, Walmart is a godsend. The cost of living is going up, the cost of gas is going up, and its all quicker than my salary is going up. So, yes, Shopping at walmart makes perfect sense.
And don't you dare call me a Republican..... | |
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zapt
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Joined: 11/4/2005
Msg: 96 | |
| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 4:58:24 PM | | I will never shop at WallMart just because it has a W in the name.....I hate that!! | |
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rks58
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Joined: 1/28/2006
Msg: 97 | |
| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 5:08:43 PM |
I don't understand this; what jobs are being exported?
If you're referring to all the junk that Wal-Mart sells that's also made in China, Korea, another other similar countries, then you may be mistaken. Wal-Mart is a retailer, not a manufacturer. Wal-Mart buys their merchandise for resale, and every other retailer does the same thing.
The theory works like this: In order for a retailer to offer the lowest prices they generally buy from the lowest priced manufacturer/wholesaler. If (as a manufacturer) I have to charge more, because of wages/benefits/taxes/employment standards/etc, for goods I make entirely in the U.S. the retailer won't buy from me because the imported goods are less expensive. In order to stay in business I have to move my manufacturing to a country that has lower wages/benefits/taxes/employment standards/etc. That means I have to fire all my American workers or convince them to relocate to the other country with the lower standard of living (not many would want to do this for obvious reasons). This creates higher unemployment, lowers the domestic standard of living and all else that goes with not having enough jobs for the size of the available workforce. Hence the domestic jobs have been effectively 'exported'.
But I'm guessing you already knew this. | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 5:55:29 PM |
Sounds to me like someone, or a member of their family, didn't get the job/promotion they thought they 'deserved'.
Nope. Just someone who worked for a grocery chain that forces its members to join a union that they have no faith in. I had no aspirations of working my way up the chain, as it wasn't the sort of company I had any desire to stay with; merely a job to get me by at that time.
That's a lot of bitterness to be directing at a group of people who just want to level the playing field by banding together for strength in numbers.
Are you high?!?
1) Long-term members continually ratify contracts that allow them to maintain their benefits and higher wage tier, while permitting new hires to be brought in at minimum wage (in my state, that's $4.25 an hour).
2) The union requires that those new hires, while making minimum wage, are last in line for any overtime available; those hours go first to employees who make $15-$20 per overtime hour.
3) The grocery chain that I used to work for has recently mandated that all new hires must work 6 days to get their 40 hours. No one who needs two days off a week will be able to work full-time. All with the blessing of the UFCW.
4) I don't know about where you live, but here it's nearly impossible to find a grocery chain that has baggers anymore. Those positions have been eliminated, and they've been replaced with baggage carousels, so that the cashiers' duties have been expanded to include bagging groceries while their rate of pay has remained the same.
That's not "strength in numbers", or "banding together". That's an us-against-them mentality; "As long as I get mine, screw you!"
And, btw, since when is permitting members of management to vote at union meetings considered "levelling the playing field"?? | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 6:13:46 PM | Here is a better alternative to Walmart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco | |
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| Wally-Mart SUX
Posted: 4/20/2006 6:21:28 PM | | Maybe not all companies need a union but Wal-Mart does need a union. The workers have no voice and Walmart does what they want with the people. They have the attitude that if you dont like it then leave. Well when you come into a town and wipe out all of the jobs then at least pay your people a wage they can live on. I mean if your single with a kid and need family health insurance and get on with walmart who in the hell can live on 8.00 or 8.50 an hour to start with? Then subtract the 150.00 every two weeks they charge for health insurance and then pay the 1,000 dollar a year deductible and then maybe just maybe they will pay a little here and there but nothing worth bragging about. They say they create jobs but did you know most people who work in a walmart do not work 40 hour weeks and they do that so you wont qualify for there already lousy insurance. So do they need a union??? YES!!! Sure you will have to pay some dues but you will also get better benefits, better pay, and better hours in a company that size. It is bad a company that huge and expanding that much will start off someone at a mere 8.00 an hour and offer so called benefits for such outrageous prices. Dont tell me they dont need a union. The people at the stores are just scared to speak up because walmart will just shut the store down and they have already elminated all of the jobs in the town so they have no choice. | |
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