Wal-Mart employees are not waiting for the government to give them permission to make a free choice. Reportedly thousands of Wal-Mart employees have joined forces to rise up against what they are characterizing as the “anti-worker policies” of the world's largest retailer. According to a report by MarketWatch.com, Wal-Mart workers in 100 stores in 15 states have already signed union cards while lawmakers are still arguing about the proper way such signings should occur.
In a video posted on YouTube last week, current and former Wal-Mart employees are uncharacteristically vocal and public about their complaints against their employer and their desire to organize for better working conditions. Actions taken in the past by Wal-Mart management in response to unionization efforts have been interpreted as retaliatory, and have supposedly caused workers to fear consequences for participating in any organizing attempts.
In 2004, employees at a Wal-Mart store in Jonqiere, Quebec were organized to form a union by the United Food and Commercial Workers. It was the first unionized Wal-Mart workforce in North America. Coincidentally, Wal-Mart decided to close that store just seven months later.
A lawsuit was filed against Wal-Mart, alleging that the closing of the Jonqiere store was used as a threat to all Wal-Mart employees about the consequences of unionization. Wal-Mart said that it closed that particular store for other reasons, and they also adamantly defended their right to do so. Quebec’s provincial labor commission upheld Wal-Mart’s right to close, as did a superior judge, and the provincial court of appeal. The case went to Canada’s Supreme Court in January.
Perhaps Wal-Mart did have a legitimate business reason for closing the Jonqiere store. Perhaps it also had a justifiable reason for closing a Tire & Lube Express store in Gatineau, Quebec just three months after workers there secured a collective bargaining agreement. Perhaps it was also a coincidence that meat-cutting departments were eliminated in all Wal-Mart owned stores just two weeks after one meat-cutting department in Jacksonville, TX won union recognition.
The fact that unionized Wal-Mart operations have never survived more than a year... read more...
In a video posted on YouTube last week, current and former Wal-Mart employees are uncharacteristically vocal and public about their complaints against their employer and their desire to organize for better working conditions. Actions taken in the past by Wal-Mart management in response to unionization efforts have been interpreted as retaliatory, and have supposedly caused workers to fear consequences for participating in any organizing attempts.
In 2004, employees at a Wal-Mart store in Jonqiere, Quebec were organized to form a union by the United Food and Commercial Workers. It was the first unionized Wal-Mart workforce in North America. Coincidentally, Wal-Mart decided to close that store just seven months later.
A lawsuit was filed against Wal-Mart, alleging that the closing of the Jonqiere store was used as a threat to all Wal-Mart employees about the consequences of unionization. Wal-Mart said that it closed that particular store for other reasons, and they also adamantly defended their right to do so. Quebec’s provincial labor commission upheld Wal-Mart’s right to close, as did a superior judge, and the provincial court of appeal. The case went to Canada’s Supreme Court in January.
Perhaps Wal-Mart did have a legitimate business reason for closing the Jonqiere store. Perhaps it also had a justifiable reason for closing a Tire & Lube Express store in Gatineau, Quebec just three months after workers there secured a collective bargaining agreement. Perhaps it was also a coincidence that meat-cutting departments were eliminated in all Wal-Mart owned stores just two weeks after one meat-cutting department in Jacksonville, TX won union recognition.
The fact that unionized Wal-Mart operations have never survived more than a year... read more...
Comments
Retail has been the great career stepping stone for American workers for over a century. Far and away, success in retail is defined by an infatuation with customer demand. Walmart has used many tools to increase value for their customers, from hard goods to groceries and to generic medicines. This has brought real improvement to the quality of life in this country, unlike the speeches and sermons that get a seat in Congress or the White House. If you’re getting paid $10 an hour in retail, chances are the job is worth even less. And as we’ve seen in the news the past few months, unions are greedy and callous, firing their junior ranks rather than agree to minimal pay cuts across the board. Say no to organized crime.
The terms “value” and “worth” regarding employees and their their wages is very subjective. You can speak of “market forces” in terms of job category “worth,” but it is a rigged system that will do anything to get the commodity called “employee” (as opposed to human being)for the lowest cost.
We also need to talk about “what is right” in America. An employee is an investor! They provide one of their most precious blongings– time and the dexterity of their limbs–into building a company. Their compensation should not be determined by “market forces” but by the profitability of the company they work for.
Walmart, basically, is there for bottom-feeders–poor people. Keeping Walmart employees piss poor not only keeps payroll costs down, but there’s the added benefit that most employees spend the majority of their paychecks RIGHT AT Walmart! Paying more would not only increase payroll, but much less would be spent at Walmart.
It’s not about the subjective “value,” but on what is “right” in the big picture–in the God picture. How the Waltons live like kings and queens and celebrate Christmas while their employees starve tells me they are cold-hearted atheists.
UNIONIZE Walmart. It’s the only entity that can make them flinch. And do not buy the bit about how you will have to pay union dues. …the rest of the story is that you will make more money, and after union dues are subtracted out, you will STILL MAKE MORE MONEY THAT YOU ARE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!
And, you will have DEFINED JOB SPECS. And, you won’t be able to be MAN-HANDLED by Walmart, alone in the office, with 2,3,4 managers grilling and taunting you.
Vote union!
walmart has
Walmart is reorganizing their management chain to save money. The firings in Arkansas, and in their regional offices are the tip of the iceberg. Walmart has stopped hiring full time employees so they don’t have to pay benefits. Department managers are in fear that they will be losing their jobs soon, because the store of the future does not include them or fewer of them.
This so called organization has them scared. They were told if they quit, were fired, or moved to another position that they would not be replaced. If they can so callously fire the employees they have so far, what’s to stop them from firing department managers. I doubt they will wait til we die, quit, get fired, etc. to get rid of them.
Part time employees get no benefits, so in the long run they save money. They say it’s so they can survive.
Wrong, part time employees do get medical benefits for the same cost per paycheck as full-timers and managers after a year of service. I do not agree with their policy of decreasing full-timers, and that does go on. But the argument that all part-time associates do not get benefits is false.
It’s only the part time associates that work under twenty four hours who wil not qualify for health insurance, unless they were grandfathered in before the changes take effect.