Wal-Mart Is Facing Latest Salvo From Union

B00Mer

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Wal-Mart Is Facing Latest Salvo From Union

A hundred Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers representing a new, union-financed organization called OUR Walmart are expected to converge at the company's Bentonville, Ark., headquarters Thursday to demand that management pay attention to their concerns.




Reuters A group of Wal-Mart workers plan to converge in Bentonville, Ark.






The Web-based group, started last fall with seed money from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, is the latest salvo in the long and so far fruitless efforts by U.S. labor unions to organize the 1.4 million U.S. workers at the world's largest retail chain.
The workers' group, which is receiving counsel from a Washington, D.C., political-strategy firm founded by former Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod, claims to have several thousand members who pay $5 a month to come together via social media to discuss changing workplace conditions at Wal-Mart.

Some of the workers who have joined the group have planned the visit to headquarters, but it wasn't clear Wednesday that the company would meet with the group, which has no collective-bargaining rights.

"In broad brush strokes, we have 100 associates arriving in Bentonville, by car and plane, and they are meeting to write down what they, as representatives of this group, want," said Jason Young, a member of ASGK Public Strategies, the Washington firm advising the workers. "To use union terms, you might say they are writing a platform."

While Wal-Mart has agreed to work with labor unions in some parts of the world, it has fiercely opposed unionization, especially in the U.S. After butchers at a Jacksonville, Texas, Wal-Mart voted to unionize in 2000, Wal-Mart eliminated all U.S. meat-cutting departments. When workers in Canada's Quebec province voted to unionize in 2005, Wal-Mart shut down the store.

OUR Walmart, an acronym for Organization United for Respect at Wal-Mart, hasn't said what changes it will seek from Wal-Mart management. It denies that its goal is to unionize the work force, though some of the workers involved made it clear that they support such an outcome.

"All the workers would be better off with a unionized company," said Ernestine Bassett, a 62-year-old cashier at a Wal-Mart in Maryland. "The low wages are the No. 1 priority for everyone," she added. "All we want is a living wage, and that we are not getting."
As of June, the average wage for regular, full-time hourly Wal-Mart associates in Maryland is $11.93 an hour. Maryland's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

Wal-Mart spokesman David Tovar said the company sees the group as a Trojan horse assembled by organized labor to lay the groundwork for full-fledged unionizing.

He declined to comment on whether Wal-Mart would meet with the group but noted that the company has an "open-door policy" under which workers can take up complaints with their managers.

"This is just the latest effort by the unions to seek media attention to further their agenda," he added.
Labor experts view the UFCW's latest Wal-Mart campaign as part of a broader movement by unions to find new ways to build close ties to workers that verge on representation.

Marick Masters, the director of labor studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, said the UFCW could use its expertise "behind the scenes" to help workers with potential claims related to safety, wage practices and discrimination.
He said he believes the group might be able to influence Wal-Mart to alter some policies going forward, adding, "There's always the specter of a class-action lawsuit."

Wal-Mart is already a defendant in the largest gender-discrimination class-action suit in U.S. history, a case in which current and former women workers allege they were systematically paid less and promoted more infrequently than male counterparts. The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether the lawsuit can proceed as a class action, estimated to include more than a million women. Wal-Mart has repeatedly said that no systematic pattern of discrimination occurred.

Write to Miguel Bustillo at miguel.bustillo@wsj.com and Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com

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I'm all for Capitalism, but I really tired of out right disgusting greed by corporate CEO's. Wallmart earned 16 billion dollars last year, there is no reason why this company can not give it's employees a living wage.

What happen to the 50's where companies seriously considered their employees as a important resource (almost family), offering retirement plans, good health plans.

The Replublicans keep talking about bringing the USA back to the principals of the 50's, lets start by raising the wages of the poor and middle class, I like the family unit of the 50's, just not Rand Pauls ideas of the 50's allowing businesses to choose who they want to have in there store.

 

cranky

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its seems that a good way to shut down a Walmart store, is to have them do it themselves merely by unionizing the employees.

If Walmart was faced with every store unionizing in a large area, say the size of Toronto. I wonder if they would shut down all their stores in that area, or would they blink?
 

YukonJack

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If Wal-Mart ever falls victim to union thugs, millions of people will NEVER set foot within its doors, ever again. Including me.
 

YukonJack

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is that a promise or a threat? :)

Take it any way you like.

I am already unhappy with Wal-Mart for selling so much junk from China. Any decent person would or at least should be willing to pay a few penny more for stuff produced by free citizens, rather than underage slaves.

Adding unions to the equation would remove any and all price advantage, regardless how despicable that advantage already is.
 

cranky

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yep, summertime is a great time for flea markets. and if anyone profits from me, at least i know it is going to a family instead of Walmart's bank accounts.
 

cranky

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imo, anyone that doesn't shop walmart, would find themselves in a delema.

Its got to be as difficult as finding shoes that dont come from animal products and/or the petroleum industry.
 

petros

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Americans are always behind the times....
Wal-Mart union in Weyburn, Sask., upheld

Last Updated: Friday, October 15, 2010 | 8:22 AM CST

The Canadian Press

The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has upheld a decision to certify a union at a Wal-Mart store in Weyburn, Sask.
The certification of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1400 had originally been issued by the Saskatchewan Labour Board in December 2008.

Wal-Mart had successfully challenged the certification in a lower court but in a recent ruling by Saskatchewan's highest court, that decision was struck down and the union certification was upheld.

The union first applied for certification in 2004. The union says two days ago, a Quebec court upheld an arbitrator's decision that Wal-Mart acted illegally when it shut a store in Jonquiere shortly after workers there formed a union.

The UFCW also has applications pending before the labour board for Wal-Mart stores in Moose Jaw and North Battleford.
Hahahahahaha....

Look! It's stilll there and still making good money. How bizarre is that?

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&pq...esult&ct=image&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBgQnwIwAA
 

B00Mer

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I stopped shopping at WallyWorld after I purchased a pair of shoes and they didn't lasted 2 months before they came apart. Now I buy quality shoes at Sports Authority.

Costco has better deals, cheaper and better quality than WallyWorld and does not use slave labor from third world nations.
 

Nuggler

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Feb 27, 2006
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If Wal-Mart ever falls victim to union thugs, millions of people will NEVER set foot within its doors, ever again. Including me.

They probably won't let you in right now. Why would you shop there anyway??

Take it any way you like.

I am already unhappy with Wal-Mart for selling so much junk from China. Any decent person would or at least should be willing to pay a few penny more for stuff produced by free citizens, rather than underage slaves.

Adding unions to the equation would remove any and all price advantage, regardless how despicable that advantage already is.


So, shop at Zellers. Same sh it, different pile. Find a store with only Canadian made goods, with competitive prices, and we'll all go there...............at least I will.......good chance for you to diss the unions now. go for it.

Cdn Tire
Zellers
WalMart
whatever..................most goods made in China
 

Bar Sinister

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Jan 17, 2010
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They probably won't let you in right now. Why would you shop there anyway??




So, shop at Zellers. Same sh it, different pile. Find a store with only Canadian made goods, with competitive prices, and we'll all go there...............at least I will.......good chance for you to diss the unions now. go for it.

Cdn Tire
Zellers
WalMart
whatever..................most goods made in China

Umm - Zellers in now American owned. Canadian Tire is the best bet.

If Wal-Mart ever falls victim to union thugs, millions of people will NEVER set foot within its doors, ever again. Including me.

Actually it would make me more likely to shop there. But then again I prefer to shop in places where workers have a chance to negotiate a decent living wage.

its seems that a good way to shut down a Walmart store, is to have them do it themselves merely by unionizing the employees.

If Walmart was faced with every store unionizing in a large area, say the size of Toronto. I wonder if they would shut down all their stores in that area, or would they blink?

Probably. Walmart operates in Europe in countries that are highly unionized.
 

taxslave

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Umm - Zellers in now American owned. Canadian Tire is the best bet.



Actually it would make me more likely to shop there. But then again I prefer to shop in places where workers have a chance to negotiate a decent living wage.



Probably. Walmart operates in Europe in countries that are highly unionized.

In that case you would not want to shop in a union store where the wage is the lowest common denominator and good employees are forced to work for the same rate as the slackers. In a non union store a good worker can negotiate their own pay.
Many small unionized companies will make side deals with their better employees but I doubt it could work in a large setting.
 

YukonJack

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Umm - Zellers in now American owned. Canadian Tire is the best bet.

Actually it would make me more likely to shop there. But then again I prefer to shop in places where workers have a chance to negotiate a decent living wage.

Probably. Walmart operates in Europe in countries that are highly unionized.

As an immigrant with initially short grasp of English, and yet have the brains to negotiate for my own wages and then later, salary, and never needed a thug to speak for me, I have nothing but pity and compassion for the born losers who need a union to speak for them, while they are not seeing that these thugs are robbing them blind.
 

cranky

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If you are looking for something canadian, kijiji is about as close as you will get.
 

cranky

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I just sold my old wall unit, electric lawn mower and electric weed whacker on kijiji.

Thanks for the advice, but you are too late.
Nice thing about a market like kijiji, if someone profits from me, most of the time it will be a family.
 

petros

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Nov 21, 2008
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As an immigrant with initially short grasp of English, and yet have the brains to negotiate for my own wages and then later, salary, and never needed a thug to speak for me, I have nothing but pity and compassion for the born losers who need a union to speak for them, while they are not seeing that these thugs are robbing them blind.
It takes men and women to stand together in Solidarity. Not whiners and backstabbing losers.

Remember Union Solidarity in Poland and Ukraine Yukon Jack? The force that ended the Cold War.

You homeland would still be commie if it weren't for Ukrainian coal miners and Polish ship builders.


So shut the **** up and be thankful that you can go home again thanks to UNIONS.
 

gerryh

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it takes men and women to stand together in solidarity. Not whiners and backstabbing losers.

Remember union solidarity in poland and ukraine yukon jack? The force that ended the cold war.

You homeland would still be commie if it weren't for ukrainianian coal miners and polish ship builders.


So shut the **** up and be thankful that you can go home again thanks to unions.



roflmfao......pwnd.!!!!