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Walmart Workers Launch Black Friday Strike

TheDemSocialist

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WASHINGTON -- Kicking off the third consecutive year of protests, Walmart workers in six states have formally submitted strike notices to their bosses ahead of the Black Friday shopping frenzy, calling for higher wages and better hours, according to OUR Walmart, the group representing the workers.OUR Walmart did not provide an estimate on how many workers planned to take part in the strikes this year. It did, however, say that workers in Wisconsin, Louisiana, Florida, California, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., have already delivered notices, and it anticipates workers in Illinois, Minnesota, Texas and Pennsylvania will do so as well.
Charles Brown, an OUR Walmart member who unloads trucks at a Walmart in Newport News, Virginia, said he plans to miss three shifts this week to take part in the demonstrations. Brown said he joined the group in September to demand a greater say in scheduling as well as "more respect" from management.
"Some [other workers] may want to do a strike as well but are hesitant," said Brown, 27. "They need to know they don't have anything to be afraid of. If we don't stand up, no one else is going to stand up for us."


Read more @: Walmart Workers Launch Black Friday Strike

:applaud:applaudIn solidarity!
 
I ask because I truly do not know... If he doesn't show up for his shifts.. Can he be fired? It makes sense that he should/could be fired, but who knows anymore.

I believe in right to work states, he could be fired. I noticed Arizona was not included, and it is a right to work state.
 
I ask because I truly do not know... If he doesn't show up for his shifts.. Can he be fired? It makes sense that he should/could be fired, but who knows anymore.

yes he can be fired in any state
 
I believe in right to work states, he could be fired. I noticed Arizona was not included, and it is a right to work state.

since he's not a member of a legal union and there's no collective bargaining agreement, they can fire him for any reason at any time, basically.
 
I have to laugh at this only because how DARE the stores give the customers what they want. :lamo

You do realize that if people STOPPPED shopping on those days, the store wouldn't stay open right?

do the workers not have the right to say they want to stay at home as well? how DARE they decide they want to stay at home with their families?
 
do the workers not have the right to say they want to stay at home as well? how DARE they decide they want to stay at home with their families?

Sorry, did the workers get "assigned" to Walmart through some criminal rehab program or did they apply and agree to work retail store hours?

If someone was hired with the GUARANTEE that they wouldn't work holidays, you might have a point. But I am fairly confident that this sort of arrangement was not done in the interview.

Are you showing the same concern for the fire department, police department, and other people that HAVE to work holidays or are you ONLY interested in RETAIL?
 
Sorry, did the workers get "assigned" to Walmart through some criminal rehab program or did they apply and agree to work retail store hours?

Are you showing the same concern for the fire department, police department, and other people that HAVE to work holidays or are you ONLY interested in RETAIL?

no, they were not assigned to work there. walmart has every right to fire employees who don't show up for scheduled shifts. you sarcastically asked "how DARE walmart give the customers what they want?" as though the workers are wrong for simply expressing the desire to stay home on thanksgiving. my post was was intended to show you why that attitude is absurd by asking a similar sarcastic question about the workers.

i'm interested in retail right now because that's what the thread is about. there are different rules for emergency workers as far as striking and collective bargaining goes.
 
Corporate Greed continues to destroy American Tradition. Last year, I refused to spend a penny at any store that opened on Thanksgiving through the entire holiday season. I will do the same again this year....no WalMart, Kmart, Target, Macy's, Best Buy....etc. Its getting harder to do my Christmas shopping but I believe strongly that corporate greed should not destroy the values of this country.
 
Read more @: Walmart Workers Launch Black Friday Strike

:applaud:applaudIn solidarity! [/FONT][/COLOR]

Know what you applaud..... Take note of a few facts.

Excerpted:

UFCW-Walmart-Protest

On Friday, the United Food and Commercial Workers union will be engaging is street theater trying to embarrass Walmart. Their schtick is that Walmart is not paying a “living wage.”

................................. The federal minimum wages is $7.25 and the average full time hourly wage in Walmart is $12.94. If this number was not accurate, Walmart would have been sued by now. The UCFW and its hirelings claim that wage is under $9 but the arrive at that number by blending full-time and part-time workers together. ..........................

So what is life like in a UCFW organized store? Like Kroger, for instance:

Even senior workers do not earn $15 an hour. Consider meat or bakery clerks at Kroger’s union shop in Dayton, Ohio. They earn a maximum rate of $14.25, even after over half a decade on the job. Those working in the salad bar, drug counter, or floral shop can earn a maximum of $10.95 after gaining years of experience. This amount is 27 percent below the $15.00 an hour “living wage” that the UFCW claims Walmart employees should be paid. UFCW-negotiated hourly rates for cashiers, grocery baggers, or in-store food demonstrators start at $7.70 and are capped at $8.25-45 percent below the $15.00 advocated by the UFCW. These wages are no secret.

But wait, there’s more.

The two highest paid union officials in Ohio are UCFW bosses:

Topping the statewide list were the bosses of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 75 in Dayton. UFCW 75 paid secretary treasurer Steve Culter $355,400, and president Lennie Wyatt $328,116.

UFCW’s motto is “A voice for working America.”

The top four UFCW bosses in Ohio make over $1 million in salary and heaven knows how much extra on the side.

But they try to help the working guy, right?

Managers at the Giant Eagle grocery in Edinboro, Pa., wanted to reward hard work. So they boosted the wages of two dozen high-performing employees above their union rates. But United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23 was not pleased. The union argued the pay increases violated their contract, took Giant Eagle to court and forced it to rescind the raises.

................. UCFW workers often make less than Walmart. Their hard earned money is taken in dues to pay outrageous salaries .................. and when an employer tries to reward employees they protest.

...........................................................................
............. most of the protesters are not Walmart employees and the Walmart employees who are participating are being paid by the UCFW to do so.


The farce of the UCFW's anti-Walmart Black Friday protest | RedState

Thom Paine
 
no, they were not assigned to work there. walmart has every right to fire employees who don't show up for scheduled shifts. you sarcastically asked "how DARE walmart give the customers what they want?" as though the workers are wrong for simply expressing the desire to stay home on thanksgiving. my post was was intended to show you why that attitude is absurd by asking a similar sarcastic question about the workers.

If they were hired on with the agreement to work and that was subject to holiday hours, they have nothing to complain about. They AGREED to work those hours did they not?
 
Corporate Greed continues to destroy American Tradition. Last year, I refused to spend a penny at any store that opened on Thanksgiving through the entire holiday season. I will do the same again this year....no WalMart, Kmart, Target, Macy's, Best Buy....etc. Its getting harder to do my Christmas shopping but I believe strongly that corporate greed should not destroy the values of this country.

I do the same thing as well, but you blame corporate greed. I blame consumer want.
 
do the workers not have the right to say they want to stay at home as well? how DARE they decide they want to stay at home with their families?

Then they shouldn't be working in retail. Or hospitality. Or as medical personnel. Or in the airline industry. Or as cab drivers. Or with the telephone companies. Or with the DPWs.
 
I ask because I truly do not know... If he doesn't show up for his shifts.. Can he be fired? It makes sense that he should/could be fired, but who knows anymore.

Since we are talking about non unionized employees it comes down to the State in question. Without a contract, in right to work States the worker can be fired even if the employee serves notice of intention to strike. In other States it comes down to the employment legislation protecting the worker. In either case, we also have to include the motivations of the employer in dealing with non organized striking labor. I suspect Walmart will gloss over this just as they have in prior years but it does bring notice to the issue of 5th income quintile, low wage rate, workers and the minimum wage debate.
 
Corporate Greed continues to destroy American Tradition. Last year, I refused to spend a penny at any store that opened on Thanksgiving through the entire holiday season. I will do the same again this year....no WalMart, Kmart, Target, Macy's, Best Buy....etc. Its getting harder to do my Christmas shopping but I believe strongly that corporate greed should not destroy the values of this country.


Corporate greed ??? Really ???

They are businesses who respond to customer requests/dictates. If people did not desire to shop on Thanksgiving the stores would not open... due to no profit...

Blame the consumer not the one attempting to satiate consumer wants.

G'day D

Thom Paine
 
Know what you applaud..... Take note of a few facts.

Excerpted:

UFCW-Walmart-Protest

On Friday, the United Food and Commercial Workers union will be engaging is street theater trying to embarrass Walmart. Their schtick is that Walmart is not paying a “living wage.”

................................. The federal minimum wages is $7.25 and the average full time hourly wage in Walmart is $12.94. If this number was not accurate, Walmart would have been sued by now. The UCFW and its hirelings claim that wage is under $9 but the arrive at that number by blending full-time and part-time workers together. ..........................

So what is life like in a UCFW organized store? Like Kroger, for instance:

Even senior workers do not earn $15 an hour. Consider meat or bakery clerks at Kroger’s union shop in Dayton, Ohio. They earn a maximum rate of $14.25, even after over half a decade on the job. Those working in the salad bar, drug counter, or floral shop can earn a maximum of $10.95 after gaining years of experience. This amount is 27 percent below the $15.00 an hour “living wage” that the UFCW claims Walmart employees should be paid. UFCW-negotiated hourly rates for cashiers, grocery baggers, or in-store food demonstrators start at $7.70 and are capped at $8.25-45 percent below the $15.00 advocated by the UFCW. These wages are no secret.

But wait, there’s more.

The two highest paid union officials in Ohio are UCFW bosses:

Topping the statewide list were the bosses of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 75 in Dayton. UFCW 75 paid secretary treasurer Steve Culter $355,400, and president Lennie Wyatt $328,116.

UFCW’s motto is “A voice for working America.”

The top four UFCW bosses in Ohio make over $1 million in salary and heaven knows how much extra on the side.

But they try to help the working guy, right?

Managers at the Giant Eagle grocery in Edinboro, Pa., wanted to reward hard work. So they boosted the wages of two dozen high-performing employees above their union rates. But United Food and Commercial Workers Local 23 was not pleased. The union argued the pay increases violated their contract, took Giant Eagle to court and forced it to rescind the raises.

................. UCFW workers often make less than Walmart. Their hard earned money is taken in dues to pay outrageous salaries .................. and when an employer tries to reward employees they protest.

...........................................................................
............. most of the protesters are not Walmart employees and the Walmart employees who are participating are being paid by the UCFW to do so.


The farce of the UCFW's anti-Walmart Black Friday protest | RedState

Thom Paine

okay let's slow down for just a minute here. please note that i am pro-free market, and whatever wage you earn is probably a "fair" wage. that said, the report you've quote above is misleading. to only look at the wages of full-time workers means you're either ignorant about walmart's business practices or you're trying to pull one over on everybody.

i'll start with a few questions: do you happen to know what percentage of walmart workers are full-time, and what percentage are part-time? how many hours per week does the average part-time worker get to work?

are the full-time employees mostly supervisory and management employees, or do they also encompass a significant portion of line-level employees who make up the majority of the company's workers?
 
I do the same thing as well, but you blame corporate greed. I blame consumer want.

Its both. The same people who show up on Thanksgiving would show up on black Friday, so its not necessarily about consumer want.
 
Its both. The same people who show up on Thanksgiving would show up on black Friday, so its not necessarily about consumer want.

Actually it is. The people WANT this or they wouldn't show up for it.
 
Corporate greed ??? Really ???

They are businesses who respond to customer requests/dictates. If people did not desire to shop on Thanksgiving the stores would not open... due to no profit...

Blame the consumer not the one attempting to satiate consumer wants.

G'day D

Thom Paine

Actually you are wrong. The consuming public was happy to get up early on black friday to do their shopping. They weren't demanding stores open on Thanksgiving. They are showing up now because corporate greed has pushed black friday to thursday. The public didn't demand stores to do this.
 
If they were hired on with the agreement to work and that was subject to holiday hours, they have nothing to complain about. They AGREED to work those hours did they not?

maybe they did, maybe they didn't, but this is the free market and we live in a free country and they are allowed to strike or not show up if they feel it serves their interest to do so. there is nothing immoral about striking (assuming you work in an occupation where public safety isn't threatened by a strike). they are perfectly within their rights not to show up to work.

if they have nothing to complain about, then they will be fired and other workers who don't complain and do show up to work will take their place. why do you have a problem with that?
 
are the full-time employees mostly supervisory and management employees, or do they also encompass a significant portion of line-level employees who make up the majority of the company's workers?

You have yet to answer this question. When they were hired did they AGREE to work holiday hours, yes or no?
 
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