Wal-Mart mobilizes against Democrats

[Guest tcampbell]

Wal-Mart mobilizes against Democrats

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is mobilizing U.S. store managers to lobby against Democrats in November's presidential election, fearing they will make it easier for workers to unionize, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

In recent weeks, thousands of Wal-Mart managers and department heads have been summoned to mandatory meetings at which the retailer stresses the downside for workers if store workers unionize, the paper said.

About a dozen employees who attended meetings in seven states said executives stressed employees would have to pay hefty union dues and get nothing in return, and might have to go on strike without compensation, and warned that unionization could force the company to cut jobs as labor costs rise, the Journal reported.

The Wal-Mart human-resources managers who have run the meetings didn't tell those attending how to vote in the November elections, but made it clear that voting for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, would be tantamount to inviting unions in, the Journals said.

Wal-Mart could not be reached immediately for a comment.

[Guest abailey362]

well, even if it is more the wrong reasons, maybe this will help the republican cause this year

[Guest db99wj]

well, even if it is more the wrong reasons, maybe this will help the republican cause this year

Wow, that's a big kick in the nutz for Obama.

[Guest jwp]

And yet WalMart will continue to buy more "Made In China" garbage.

Kind of funny if you ask me.

[Guest Abominable_Hillbilly]

Wal-Mart employees had their vote. They voted "no" to organizing. It might be a different result in a few years, but I doubt it.

[Guest db99wj]

Walmart was very anti union even way back when I worked for them, 1991-1992. Part of the training was how to handle a call from someone that talked the benefits of the unions. I see nothing has changed.

[Volzfan]

Any way that BO can lose a vote is fine with me.

[Rightwinger]

And yet WalMart will continue to buy more "Made In China" garbage.

Kind of funny if you ask me.

Look around your home and tell us all you don't have one foreign made item! If you try to say you drive Ford, Chevy or Chrysler then you bought foreign parts!

Walmart is correct for not wanting the employees to unionize. No better way to kill productivity than to bring in a union.

[towerclimber37]

I agree.

someone said that tower hands should have a union. we told them to go fly a kite. I think it was the iron workers union that said we should fall under them...

we make our own agreements with employers. we don't need no stinkin mouthpiece to speak for us.

[Guest unreconstructed1]

About a dozen employees who attended meetings in seven states said executives stressed employees would have to pay hefty union dues and get nothing in return, and might have to go on strike without compensation, and warned that unionization could force the company to cut jobs as labor costs rise, the Journal reported.

what most people will never see is that big companies like this will always be anti-union. the unions aren't there to benefit the company, they are there to benefit the employees.

[Rightwinger]

:blah:

[Guest unreconstructed1]

:blah:

blah all you want. I make more money than non-union workers in my field, I am treated better, and I have better benefits. sounds good to me.

[Rightwinger]

and how many greivances have you filed, just because you could. How many times have you said I can't help you when it came to a little overtime and your company needed you? How many times have you slowed down or asked the better performers to slow down so you all performed at the "prescribed" rate instead of the able and willing rate.

No, you make more money because someone threatened somebody with shut down, not because your the best at what you do!

Union was a good thing when laws didn't protect the worker (late 1800's) but since then they are an anchor around buisnesses necks. Remember, you didn't put up the capitol to start that nice place you work, someone else did. They should make the rules on who and how its run within US law, not a union that doesnt' care if they drive it in the ground.

[xd shooter]

The best place in my town was shut down to get rid of a d*** union!! Changed many lives in this town & the towns around us. I do not want tohave to rely on someone else to take my money to speak for me. No thanks!

[Guest unreconstructed1]

and how many greivances have you filed, just because you could. How many times have you said I can't help you when it came to a little overtime and your company needed you? How many times have you slowed down or asked the better performers to slow down so you all performed at the "prescribed" rate instead of the able and willing rate.

actually, I have never filed a grievance against anybody, I'm working 2 extra days a week right now, and I have never asked anybody to slow down.

now let me tell you a thing or two about many of these poor innocent companies that you are a champion for. the last job I worked, which wasn't a union job didn't "ask" anyone to work overtime, they demanded it. when they decided it was inconvenient for workers to oly work 40 hrs, they raised it to 50. when that was no longer inconvenient, they raised it to 60 etc. want to spend thanksgiving with your family? you can do it in the unemployment line. no matter how hard I worked ( yes there are folks in Unions that actually will work hard if it's needed) all I got in return was was that I needed to "work harder" a lot of your bigger businesses don't give a rats ass about their employees, to them you are nothing more than employee #xxxxxx. I have worked Union, and I have worked non- union. you can work however you want, but I for one am tired of getting crapped on and treated like a number simply because some idiot wearing a suit wants to buy another new cadillac.

I am going to assume that you are a business owner. let me share a little secret about business. just because you may give a damn about your employees, doesn't mean that all business owners do.

[Marswolf]

what most people will never see is that big companies like this will always be anti-union. the unions aren't there to benefit the company, they are there to benefit the employees.

From my experience, the workers don't get much from membership in some unions. The benefit is for the crooked union leaders.

Unions are a major reasons so many jobs have left the USA. Yeah, they are a great deal for the workers, OK....

[Guest Abominable_Hillbilly]

and how many greivances have you filed, just because you could. How many times have you said I can't help you when it came to a little overtime and your company needed you? How many times have you slowed down or asked the better performers to slow down so you all performed at the "prescribed" rate instead of the able and willing rate.

No, you make more money because someone threatened somebody with shut down, not because your the best at what you do!

Union was a good thing when laws didn't protect the worker (late 1800's) but since then they are an anchor around buisnesses necks. Remember, you didn't put up the capitol to start that nice place you work, someone else did. They should make the rules on who and how its run within US law, not a union that doesnt' care if they drive it in the ground.

I'm a railroader who works in train and engine service. Norfolk-Southern requires me to join one of two unions available to me. They don't do it because they believe in the union way. They do it because it makes it easier to handle everyone.

NS is one of the most profitable companies on the face of the Earth. They're the American dream come true. Neither of the two major unions has ruined them, principally because we fall under Taft-Hartley and are not allowed to have a meaningful strike. What my union does do, however, is provide me with a tremendous resource for dealing with a corporation that is among the last of the robber-barons. I wouldn't want to work a foot of rail without a union and without FELA.

Not all unions or industries are the same. You'd do well to learn a bit more before throwing stones. Some of us are some of the most productive employees in the world, and we're working for successful companies that are glad to have us. The railroad calls me five times a day on all my off days. They want me to work. They love me, see?

[Guest unreconstructed1]

Unions are a major reasons so many jobs have left the USA. Yeah, they are a great deal for the workers, OK....

well, then et's eliminate the unions. let's also eliminate OSHA, the miniomum wage, and a gaggle of other practices that those third world countries don't have and maybe the jobs will start comng back, ok....

actually, a large reason for the mass exodus of jobs, lies in teh fact that due to "fair trade" agreements, it's cheaper to make those products there and ship them here than it is to make them here.

so using that philosophy, if we'll cut out "unnecessary" costs, we'll get jobs back. let's look at some of those unnecessary costs:

• fair wages- instead of paying employees something that they can actually live on, let's just pay everyone 4.00 an hour
  
• overtime. - the extra 2 dollars on teh hour for overtime on that 4.00 an hour is really just cost prohibitive
  
• safety- ear plugs? safety glasses? fall restraint systems? that's just money out of the employers pockets. if an employee wants taht stuff, let them pay out of their own pockets.
  
• workers comp- seems since we eliminated the need for employers to provide PPE to their workers we have had a lot more accidents. workers comp is just another cost that needs to go away.
  

that's just the tip of teh iceberg. once we start eliminating the need for such frivolous pactices, and we start getting jobs back, we can really start to see a cange for the better...

[Marswolf]

FAIR wages???

[Mike.357]

I dunno about that fair wage stuff. If you do not think you are making enough you are always free to go seek more fruitful employment.

I don't think a clerk at Walmart is really worth all that much by the hour. I do not see it as a really difficult job, nor one that needs incredible skill.

Raising minimum wage does not do any real good. you think the company paying those wages is going to eat that? I will give you one other guess as to who gets to pay the difference.

[TripleDigitRide]

I've never worked for a unionized company, so admittedly, my knowledge on the subject of unions is somewhat limited. On the other hand, I do have many family members (mostly up north) and some friends who do work for unionized companies.

A majority of these friends and family work for some of the largest and most profitable companies in their areas. In fact, some of the companies are the largest and most profitable in the country. I can't speak for the companies, but I can honestly say that I've never heard any of my friends or family members complain or talk negatively about the union which they're a member.

Those who've already retired from a unionized company are living very well (financially), partly due to the amazing pension plans and very nice wages they received while working for a unionized company. This is something I wish our company offered. It would be nice to have the added benefit/security of a pension plan to go along with any personal savings I'm able to do while preparing for retirement in the distant future.

Those who are currently working for unionized companies are also doing very well, financially. Many of them have benefit packages that rival those who work for a government. Their wages are nothing to shake a stick at either. All of them are living well.

Yes, there have been unionized companies move to other countires. Yes, there have been unionized companies who've decided to close their doors due to certian issues, including financial reasons. Can ALL these circumstances be blamed on the unions? I can't honestly say for sure, but I'd venture to say no. If you say yes, can you explain how some companies are able to grow and prosper while employing union workers? Fact is, a vast majority of unionized companies continue to grow and prosper with the help of unionized employees.

[strickj]

Raising minimum wage does not do any real good. you think the company paying those wages is going to eat that? I will give you one other guess as to who gets to pay the difference.

In fact it does do some real good!

For the first couple of months,but as soon as it eats profits,end cost increases.

That is one part in reason our economy is "bad"

[Guest nj.piney]

the dems whole argument is wether it should be a secret ballot or not. the dems want an open ballot so you can suffer repercussions if you vote not to join . i prefer a secret ballot, how i vote is nobodys business but mine.

[Guest unreconstructed1]

the dems whole argument is wether it should be a secret ballot or not. the dems want an open ballot so you can suffer repercussions if you vote not to join . i prefer a secret ballot, how i vote is nobodys business but mine.

I absolutely agree there that organization votes should be secret. there have been many instances where a company whose employees have voted no on organization have punished those who voted for it, and I have also heard stories of corrupted unions that have punished those who voted no once the union won.

I will say this. neither side is perfect, that much is a fact. there are many instances of union corruption, and there are many instances of corporate mistreatment of employees. honestly, what you do is a all up to you. I will say this however, about union work and the question of fair wages. with a non-union job, I have busted my ass to get ahead, been treated like crap by kiss ass bosses who didn't care about anything other than looking good to their bosses, and who would sell you out for any reason, if they thought that it would benefit them. I have worked for wages that wouldn't buy gas money today, let alone support someone. and I should be loyal to them for that? at the end of the day, most bosses of large bussinesses are loyal only to their bottom line, and nothing else. you are just a number to them. My allegiance is to my family. if me getting a decent wage that I can suport my family means that the business owner has to drive a cadillac instead of a rolls royce, I'll not lose sleep, because that money is going to go to my supper table.

[Guest Abominable_Hillbilly]

the dems whole argument is wether it should be a secret ballot or not. the dems want an open ballot so you can suffer repercussions if you vote not to join . i prefer a secret ballot, how i vote is nobodys business but mine.

The last "red card" drive I saw was a secret ballot. I agree with you. It should be private. The only reason to have it out in the open is to have certain employees attempt to intimidate other employees, or to help the company create a retaliation list.

The right to organize is fundamental. It should exist freely and unfettered--either by union bosses, or by the companies.