Wal-Mart foes realign

[Ernesto]

CHICAGO - The rift in the AFL-CIO comes as organized labor is mounting a multipronged political, legal and public-relations campaign against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., a campaign that is showing signs of putting the low-cost, nonunion retailer on the defensive.
Whether the fracture in the AFL-CIO will affect labor's efforts against Wal-Mart remains to be seen. But Stewart Acuff, the AFL-CIO's organizing director, stressed solidarity at the organization's annual convention in Chicago last week.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/13329880p-14171905c.html

[SHRED]

1. That must be why...

there are so many wal-mart TV commercials lately extolling how wonderful their "benifit" packages are and how the workers just love working there.

:puke:

[dogman]

2. I was wondering about this.

It seemed an inopportune time for UFCW to break away. Many Walmart stores in my area are union constructed. This brings up a question of why I would boycott a store that uses my services for a Union that feels solidarity is less important than its leaders agendas.

[CANDO]

7. This is a perplexing scenario.

I see your point that organized labor was used to construct the big box. (WOW, Wal-Mart actually used organized labor!) But as a union household, how can I support an organization which almost always fights to the death against unions trying to represent their employees. They may have used organized labor for the time it took to construct(6-8 months), but then for the next several decades they fight tooth and nail keeping organized labor out. Solidarity simply doesn't fit so well with this scenario. I'm a 16 year Teamster and I support my leadership in their decision to split from the AFL-CIO. At this juncture, I do believe we should be focusing on organizing rather than making political contributions to further our agenda of standing up for working people. As more people join us, they will open their eyes to why they should vote their pocketbook rather than the Republican pushed "values".

[dogman]

10. Don't get me wrong.

I still do not use Walmart because of the bigger picture of the damage they do to society and the US in general. The funny thing is that small business supports the supporters of Walmart to their own detriment. I also understand the futility that Union members feel about the blind support of the Dem Party by the AFL-CIO, but the GOP will never work to benefit workers unless they are scamming one group to divide them from another. The Unions do need to demand accountability for the use of their funds. They might be better served to contribute to specific campaigns.

[ovidsen]

3. Difficult goal.

I'll do all I can to help labor succeed, but it won't be easy. Between labor's divisivness and Wallyworld's viciousness... whew.

[NativeTexan]

4. Unions NEED to go after WalMart

The WalMarting of America has got to be slowed it a dribble, if not curbed completely.

When there is even union TALK, the threaten to close the stores....of course this AFTER they come into mostly smaller communities, run all the mom & pop operations out of business, eliminate all other retail jobs and most of the other shopping options.

When they threaten to close they are threatening to kill the town they they made themselves (or actually local leaders help make with them) the sole life-support system.

The problem is...the only way to eliminate this problem is probably to send union reps into each of the WalMarts, and push until they close. That, even to ME, is unacceptible. Too many people out of work. Too much damage done to the local economies.

There support of the CHINESE economy, coupled with the BUSH ADMINISTRATIONS support of the CHINESE economy by mortgaging our very National Security by borrowing DEFICIT MONIES FROM CHINESE BANKS, has got the United States of America in more peril than She has ever seen in her 229 year existence!!!

[stevietheman]

11. Exactly right

"There support of the CHINESE economy, coupled with the BUSH ADMINISTRATIONS support of the CHINESE economy by mortgaging our very National Security by borrowing DEFICIT MONIES FROM CHINESE BANKS, has got the United States of America in more peril than She has ever seen in her 229 year existence!!!"

I continue to wonder why the Democratic Party doesn't continually emphasize how much in hock we are to Red China. Not to mention how much Middle Eastern oil affects so much of our foreign policy. It's like we don't control our own country any more. Doesn't anyone care about sovereignty any more?

[Massacure]

13. Towns can recover from Walmartism.

It may be a bit painful, but not impossible.

[fshrink]

5. Funny thing is

that Wallybangers is basically an outlet for Chinese industry...

[NMDemDist2]

6. AZ just came out with a study showing WM has by far (4 times)

more employees using state Medicaid than the next closest employer (McDonalds)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. If only people could see a direct link between the "right to work" laws

they passed and WalMart's raiding of their social services funds

[Sgent]

9. The reality at most fast food places

is better though than Walmart. In most cases, if an employee lasts longer than 6 months, they will be promoted to a "shift manager". At which point they do get a better (not good) wage and benefits at most stores.

I know one large owner of burger kings in my area, and his turnover is horrendeous at the entry level (300+%), with very good stability once they reach the second tier. He doesn't provide benefits for precisely that reason to the lowest teir employee.

Even with some workers he has from vocational rehab (minor retardation, etc), after 6 months he bumps them into the 2nd tier.

[wli]

12. I think people need to unionize en masse

The government is 99.999% corrupt; there is no hope of working within it. Collective bargaining from mega-unions sounds much more promising.

[DerBeppo]

14. no to mega-unions

the larger the group, the larger the bureaucratic needs, the more of a certainty for corruption.

[wli]

15. if not mega-unions, then what?

If mega-unions are a recipe for corruption (and at the moment they're as much of a pipe dream as a clean government), is there any hope at all?