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Wal-Mart: Poster Store for Greed |
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One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about Wal-Mart is the mega-retailer’s shoddy treatment of workers, including its sorry job safety record.
Over the years, Wal-Mart has been fined for blocking emergency exits, and so endangering workers, and for several years, implemented a “lock-in” policy at night so no one could enter or leave the building, leaving workers inside trapped.
But while Wal-Mart may not always follow federal job safety and health laws, the $315-billion-a-year corporate behemoth never would turn down the opportunity to make a buck. Even if that means selling posters that highlight federal and state labor laws.
Like workplace safety and health.
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Nothing supprise me, I have worked at Sears and now in a school system…They are all the same. Even a school system were children are the main concern of safty and education. So what is thew problem?? Simple lazy, greed, no mannners, it won’t effect me, it won’t happen here, don’t have to do it till told to do so, The way of life and socity today. ME, ME, ME. the hell with you!! How many people understand PRIDE anymore? Everything is what LOOKS GOOD. What the bottom numbers look like. Ya, that’s right look like , Air Brushed!!! LOOK LIKE!! Phoney world!!
Residents who live in communities where Wal-Mart has already opened shop, or intends to build a store, have a huge role to play.
City Councils are too often beholden to development-at-any-price in pursuit of tax revenues. Sadly, Council Members who vote in favor of allowing Wal-Mart into their towns are at the same time turning their backs on long time residents.
National figures show that every time Wal-Mart opens a store, one or two markets or other retailers are forced out of business. Union workers at those places suffer lay offs. They are thus deprived of living wage incomes, and risk losing health care benefits. Wal-Mart provides neither.
Council Members thus throw long-time resident to the curb. They conveniently ignore the fact that the people who will lose living-wage jobs have contributed to the community for years and years. They have paid property taxes, supported schools, participated in community events, shopped locally, attended churches, coached Little league, voted, and done all the other things good residents do.
Their “reward” for good-citizenship? Losing their jobs because Council Members sold them out!
One way to stop the Wal-Marts of the world from ruining our communities is to either recall or defeat those Council Members who are all to willing to cave-in to Wal-Mart. Another tool is civil disobedience at City Council meetings, or Planning Commission meetings, to call attention to the disgraceful way employers like Wal-Mart treat their employees.
There is a Wal-Mart in the town I live in. In the past year two long-time supermarkets have closed. When I drive by Wal-Mart I see SUVs and other fancy cars in the parking lot. People who lack social consciousness will go anywhere to save a dime! If, however, it was their jobs on the line they’d scream “injustice, injustice”. Hypocrites are what they are.
Finally, if any union members shop at Wal-Mart or other stores where workers are exploited, they are union members in name only. In reality they are finks and would-be scabs!
It’s time for action against corporate criminals.
Greed, is shown just as you enter any Wal Mart store. There is not one Wal Mart store I seldom enter, say in 15 years, that has not had a dirty, worn out, ragged, matted with sticky looking stuff. So greedy they will not put down new clean entrance way rugs. These rugs can’t be cleaned, it’s too late for that. This is their way of life. They don’t care what the customer thinks or steps on as long as they spend money. Walk into a any other store with rugs at there front entrance, like Target, Kohl’s, the rugs are spotless. In the Navy they had a bird name for these kind people. It fits.
Wal-Mart would not be a 315 billion dollar corporation if all you pro union people would stop shopping there. Why doesn’t someone follow thru on the boycott of this scab shop? Stop bitching about the rugs- a 315 billion dollar a year corp. could give a crap about a rug that millions walk on eveyday to get the lowest prices in town. Go to Kroger or Meijer they have no rugs.
I may be commenting out of turn but it seems to me that efforts to unionize Wal-Mart may be wasted energy.
Who are Wal-Marts biggest competitors? Probably Target and K-Mart. No one treats their employees worse, pays less or has their shelves filled with more Chinese crap than K-mart.
All three stores are modeled similarly and all are non-union.
What this country needs is unionized quality manufacturing jobs that have complete, full benefits with pensions and job security.
To achieve this goal our elected officials need their feet held to the fire in November. NAFTA needs to be renegotiated or else shit canned all together. I keep hearing the Republicans talking about all of the exporting we do to Mexico. The only thing I know we have exported is U.S. jobs.
I think I actually shopped at a Wal-Mart three times since they opened, and that was right after they opened, before I knew anything about the company. Now that I do know what a horrible corporation it is, and how they ruin lives and communities wherever they are planted, I will not step foot in that store. When I am walking with another person, and we end up talking about needing to get something, and the other person says, “you can get it at Wal-Mart” as though it is the only store around, I almost cringe. Then I say, loud enough for many people to hear, “I will never shop at Wal-Mart for any reason. That store treats its employees like crap. Don’t shop there. Go somewhere else.” Well, maybe it’s just one person taking a stand, but at least I’ll take that stand.
Wal-Mart workers need to take the initiative and organize into a union! If they don’t care about the low pay, abuse, exploitation, lack of healthcare, who should?? Meanwhile we can help them by refusing to purchase at Wal-Mart! Boycott this ratty retailer until justice is achieved!
ChicanoWobbly -
Wal-Mart workers who have taken the initiative have been fired. If and when they get justice several years will have elapsed. The laws are corrupt. They were written by corrupt politicians for corrupt companies, and corrupt judges complete the unholy troika.
By the name justice is served, the Wal-Mart worker will have moved on. Wal-Mart doesn’t mind paying fines and back-wages. The company figures a few fines and backwages are worth paying in order to scare its workers and keep the union out.
And I repeat my earlier statement: If any union members shop at Wal-Mart or other stores where workers are exploited, they are union members in name only. In reality they are finks and would-be scabs!
“United we stand, divided we crawl…”