WalMart - Store closing over unionising, Boycott called

[Vanni Fucci]

Re: RE: WalMart - Store clos

It's been the rule at two major corporations that I've worked at. One of those also had a policy of screwing you out of your bonus. Many places base raises, promotions, and lay-offs on who is friends with the boss.

Yeah...I'm in that situation right now...

One of my co-workers, who is far less qualified that I am, and just happens to be chummy with some of the managers, just got bumped up...pisses me off to no end, let me tell ya...

 

[tibear]

RB,

It must be a long a difficult life some people live if they constantly think the world is against them. :roll:

 

[Reverend Blair]

One of my co-workers, who is far less qualified that I am, and just happens to be chummy with some of the managers, just got bumped up...pisses me off to no end, let me tell ya...

I've seen that happen time and again. I always tried to stay kind of out of the loop at the place where it was the worst. Once I became a tech the regional couldn't play his little games with me because my boss was in Toronto. Because I was out here, I was removed from all the bullsh*t. I talked to my boss once a week or so and went for meetings every few months.

One time my regional (the breast-size promoter) and a district manager decided to do me in...they carefully documented how I was too "lab oriented." They complained to my boss in Toronto who gave me a raise because it was my job to be lab oriented. 8)

 

[no1important]

RE: WalMart - Store clos

Well I now see the Windsor Ontario store gets to Vote now for a union or not. Interesting to see what happens now as there are 12 other certifications pending across Canada. If they all or some go union, would Wal Mart be that low and close all those stores?

 

[missile]

Perhaps WalMart will decide it just isn't worth the effort of having Canadian stores and head back southward.Oy!Such a disaster!

 

[alsocanadian]

On the one hand, I don't like our laws forcing people to join a union if they don't want to.
On the other hand, Sears, Loblaws, Sobys, Canadian Tire, etc. don't have websites like this: http://www.walmart-blows.com/

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: WalMart - Store clos

They aren't forced to join the union. They can go and work elsewhere if they want to make less money and be treated poorly for ideological reasons.

Closed shops exist to keep companies from busting unions through tactics like selective hiring. The legislation is necessary to protect worker's rights.

 

[mrmom2]

lets get it right its china mart ever tried to buy something not made in china ?

 

[justfred]

I see on the news that the employees at the Wal-Mart store in Windsor, Ontario said no to a union. Why would that be?

What is the reason that the union are so bent on organizing their workers (also potential workers) to unionize? Would it be because the union has a genuine interest in making sure that the workers are treated fairly or because the union see an opportunity to get paid for little work and a big return.

I have read in the last week that Wal-Mart is considered to be in the top 10 places to work in Canada, a vote completed by the employees. Where does the union place on the same scale, as a good place to work?

Why do some union workers, need another union to act for them? Would a union not do everything that they can to insure that their union workers are treated fairly, pay their workers way more than industry standards?

Why would a union have to go on strike against their union? I remember a union office being on strike for like 3 months and this is amazing. Does that tell me that a union is a poor employer too, or are they just plain trying to be a union breaker, like the union says Wal-Mart are?

Just checking. :lol:

 

[Reverend Blair]

I see on the news that the employees at the Wal-Mart store in Windsor, Ontario said no to a union. Why would that be?

In a high-wage union town like Windsor? Can you say intimidation?

What is the reason that the union are so bent on organizing their workers (also potential workers) to unionize?

In most cases, it's because a group of employees approaches the union.

Where does the union place on the same scale, as a good place to work?

Everybody I know who has worked for a union has been very happy with the way they've been treated.

The rest of your post is just silly without a link. I know of only situation like that and it had to do with political infighting.

 

[tibear]

If unions are so great, can you tell me why the US has a department to track union corruption??? Seems to me that unions are just as bad if not worse than the businesses they accuse of being corrupt and heartless.

http://www.nlpc.org/artindx.asp

 

[missile]

Unless you have had the experience of working in both a union and a major non union business,I don't see how any explanations other than yours matter to you. I have worked in both environments,so I know just a bit more on the subject. And,Sobeys was one of the places[not too bad at all],fair wages and good benefits there,but it's very hard to get on a full time basis.

 

[tibear]

I've worked in both union and non-union and can honestly say I hate the union environment. The workers simply don't give a damn. Some workers start the job and work like dogs, thinking that is how they get promoted. Once they realize that how hard they work has nothing to do with promotions but everything with seniority they either quit or start dogging like the rest of the workers.

Soon you have a business where nobody works hard because there is no insentive to work hard. It doesn't matter, only the amount of service matters.

The union asks for more and more money in dues and the average worker doesn't see alot of benefit. If your a real dog of a worker and the company trys to get rid of you, the union will spend all of the union dues trying to save the dogs job.

Some business owners need a union to keep them honest but most business owners are honest and fair, if their employees aren't happy then in all likelihood the business is going to suffer. So it is in the owners best interests if their employees are happy.

 

[missile]

Some good points! At Canada Post,promotions were given to friends of the current managers[It's not who you know,it's who you blow]..that was how most of us felt about it. And yes,a lot of the boys just went through the motions of doing the job. Still, it was the best job I ever had,and have always been thankful I somehow got in there. All those strikes we had..hated everyone of them because we lost more than we gained!

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: WalMart - Store clos

You can't pick and choose like that, then go on to make generalizations. I was in a bad union. The shop steward was an idiot, they didn't protect us from the bosses, and they didn't really give a sh*t about us.

You know what though? When there was a union meeting it was generally just me and the shop steward that showed up. So if you're the union guys are going to listen to the 18 year old kid on the night-shift, or are you going to listen to the shop steward? People had voted in a union, gotten their raises, and they thought that was the end of it.

 

[missile]

Rev: we had our own club here[with a liquor license]. Our union meetings were really well attended. Some of the boys seemed to live there!

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: WalMart - Store clos

We had ours at the union office. Usually there was a case of beer and Chinese food (even worthless shop stewards are good for something). Most union people I know had experiences closer to yours than mine, Missile. When the union reps outnumber the workers, things get odd...

 

[no1important]

RE: WalMart - Store clos

When I was plant Chairman at a Canfor mill and in the 6 years I worked there we were lucky to get 3 or 4 people showing up to meetings. A union is only as strong as the membership.

 

[Doc]

I live south of the border, so pardon me for intruding. I've been following the Wal-Mart/UFCW battle with interest (and an open mind) for years. There is an underlying irony here that bothers me.

I have a sister-in-law that has worked for Wal-Mart for approx 15 years now. When asked in private if she was happy with her job, she responed with an emphatic "Yes!" I have no reason to believe her response was insincere. I don't think she is brainwashed or anything like that.

Recently, my brother had kidney failure (complication from diabetes) and a life-saving transplant. If not for the health benefits provided by Wal-Mart, there is no way they could manage the costs of a transplant operation and ongoing care that he requires. So, contrary to many others, I do not enter the discussion with the presupposition that Wal-Mart is an evil empire.

Anyway, here is the irony... The UFCW has blasted Wal-Mart for many years on the grounds that it destroys local businesses, violates human rights, and exploits workers. Their web site reads, "... the benefits of having a Wal-Mart in your neighborhood are outweighed by the cost in store closures, lost jobs, and other adverse effects..." From these statements, one would think that the union should be celebrating their "victory" over Wal-Mart. If all their stories are true, the closure of Wal-Mart will spark a renaissance in the community. There will be new mom and pop shops opening up that create many more new jobs than the 190 or so lost. These small businesses will undoubtedly pay more and offer better benefits to workers. Right?

So, why is the union not celebrating? Instead, they are calling on Wal-Mart to abandon plans to close the store. Why? Because the union is self-serving. Its stated concern for the local community is merely a front designed to obscure their true motive, growing union dues. Clearly, Wal-Mart doesn't need the union. The union needs Wal-Mart.

To me, the UFCW appears just as self-serving as those they oppose. In the case of Wal-Mart, they are getting a taste of their own medicine and finding it difficult to swallow.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: WalMart - Store clos

There are a few issues here, Doc. First of all it takes money to open stores. That money has now gone elsewhere. Second of all it takes time. Corporatists have been raping our unemployment insurance system for years, so the benefits for employees are severely reduced. Wal-Marts use up a lot of infratructure and tax money. Roads, traffic lights etc. use a lot of tax money.

So in the end, Wal-Mart ha done what it has always done and has such a bad reputation for...they moved into a community, sucked as much out of it as they could, then split when they met the slightest resistance.