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Walmart workers demand better wages

RGacky3 said:
Lets say they die and walmart gets handed over to the employees ... it would sitll work fine.
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If it got handed to the employee's? Are you nutz? There would be chaos without someone at the top. No company can function unless someone is at the top.

RGacky3 said:
Eitherway, caliming the Waltons are actually contributing into the production of walmart profits what they are taking out is insane.
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Would you rather they just closed up shop? Fire all thier 1.4 million employees? They could you know. They have enough money that them or thier children's children wouldn't have to work thier entire lives.
 
Bobcat said:
Lets face reality, shall we? most walmart employees are not high skilled and are performing pretty easy jobs. Those who demonstrate hard work, incentive, and abilities will be promoted to management and higher pay, those who do not will remain at basic wages.
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Wal-Mart style companies tend to have dysfunctional management, and promotion is more likely to be related to networking ability, favoritism, or (possibly) even sexual favors.
 
solletica said:
Wal-Mart style companies tend to have dysfunctional management, and promotion is more likely to be related to networking ability, favoritism, or (possibly) even sexual favors.
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If they have dysfunctional management, it's probably because they promote from within.

What is a "WalMart-style" company?
 
iliveonramen said:
Exactly...people always talk about actual legislation but one of the biggest ways the Executive branch wields power is who it puts in charge of different agencies and boards. The NLRB was stacked with corporate heads and the backlog of cases grew exponentially as they not only sided with management on the majority of cases but just didn't hear very many cases.

If you're a worker fired because you tried to organize your workplace how long exactly do you have to wait before your case is heard? It doesn't take long for people to realize that if you get fired due to illegal activity it doesn't mean jack if you have to wait years or never get your date in front of the board.
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Explain to me why you have a right to organize a union in my place of business, but I do not have the right to fire you for making such an attempt>
 
solletica said:
Wal-Mart style companies tend to have dysfunctional management, and promotion is more likely to be related to networking ability, favoritism, or (possibly) even sexual favors.
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BSU.jpg

Why do you post things you cant possibly support?
 
Fletch said:
Explain to me why you have a right to organize a union in my place of business, but I do not have the right to fire you for making such an attempt>
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It's pretty difficult to practice the right to organize if it results in a termination of employment. You could always take the crazy path of paying your workers a livable wage so that they don't see a benefit to organizing. It's what Walmart did with it's truckers and it's been effective.
 
Kal'Stang said:
I have worked at Wal-Mart and I can tell you that it isn't near as bad as its detractors say.
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That hardly rises to the level of a hearty endorsement now does it? You make it sound like somebody describing a root canal.
 
iliveonramen said:
It's pretty difficult to practice the right to organize if it results in a termination of employment. You could always take the crazy path of paying your workers a livable wage so that they don't see a benefit to organizing. It's what Walmart did with it's truckers and it's been effective.
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Yep, teamsters wanted to organize Wal-Marts distribution really badly, they tried for years until Wal-Mart bumped their wages and since then its been a non-starter.
 
haymarket said:
That hardly rises to the level of a hearty endorsement now does it? You make it sound like somebody describing a root canal.
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Ironically, you dont see how you are proving his point.....
 
RGacky3 said:
No, I want to have an institutional framework for the economy that works for everyone.
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We already have that, what you want is redistribution of income. Admit it.
 
Bobcat said:
We already have that, what you want is redistribution of income. Admit it.
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Is that a bad thing? If someone works and provides 60,000 dollars a year in productivity gains and is only paid 20,000 a year isn't that a redistribution? Few people really believe that owners aren't deserving of profit but there's also a point where workers are due a portion of the results of their labor.
 
solletica said:
Wal-Mart style companies tend to have dysfunctional management, and promotion is more likely to be related to networking ability, favoritism, or (possibly) even sexual favors.
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And so it is with most companies, organizations, and every other human group. But that's not dysfunctional, thats human nature. If walmart is as dysfunctional as you claim, how did it become the worlds largest retailer? Why does it employ millions of people? If its such a terrible place to work, why are people applying for jobs there every day?

No, your real issue is that you want the unions to take over the company, why not be honest about it?
 
iliveonramen said:
Is that a bad thing? If someone works and provides 60,000 dollars a year in productivity gains and is only paid 20,000 a year isn't that a redistribution? Few people really believe that owners aren't deserving of profit but there's also a point where workers are due a portion of the results of their labor.
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Workers are paid for doing a job, not for what they may contribute to the bottom line. If you want a share of the bottom line, buy stock in the company or start your own company. But remember, the company may fail and you will lose your money---its called risk and reward. the business owner is putting his money at risk, the employee is not.
 
This all boils down to consumers if you ask me. Walmart and others abuse their workers, pay them as little as possible and get away with it because the reality is thats what consumers want. Lets say Walmart pays better and offers better benefits. Logically they would then raise thier prices. That would piss everyone off and those people would then run to target. People dont give a **** about workers. Dont let the walmart workers strike support fool you. If you want to see if people support them look at the lines in the stores. Look at the profit margins.

Working conditions, made in america, things that will help Americans < cheap. That is reality. Nothing will change until people stop spending their money with companies who's business ethics they agree with. It is the consumers fault that Walmart and many others treat their employees this way. They are simply giving in to your demands. consumer greed not corporate greed is the problem.
 
Bobcat said:
Workers are paid for doing a job, not for what they may contribute to the bottom line. If you want a share of the bottom line, buy stock in the company or start your own company. But remember, the company may fail and you will lose your money---its called risk and reward. the business owner is putting his money at risk, the employee is not.
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Sure that's reality. Ever since unions have been smashed by conservatives rising productivity hasn't meant rising wages. Hence the stagnant wages for decades that conservatives pretend to care about. Typically wages should rise with productivity...that's the whole "trick down" theory which has been thoroughly discredited.

Bussiness owners are well compensated for taking risk. In what reality is that not the case? Better yet...how many fortune 500 companies are ran by managment that had any part in the founding of the companies they run?
 
muciti said:
This all boils down to consumers if you ask me. Walmart and others abuse their workers, pay them as little as possible and get away with it because the reality is thats what consumers want. Lets say Walmart pays better and offers better benefits. Logically they would then raise thier prices. That would piss everyone off and those people would then run to target. People dont give a **** about workers. Dont let the walmart workers strike support fool you. If you want to see if people support them look at the lines in the stores. Look at the profit margins.

Working conditions, made in america, things that will help Americans < cheap. That is reality. Nothing will change until people stop spending their money with companies who's business ethics they agree with. It is the consumers fault that Walmart and many others treat their employees this way. They are simply giving in to your demands. consumer greed not corporate greed is the problem.
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I agree to a certain extent...if we're going to operate in this cowboy capitalism model...or Libertarian model then sure it's on the backs of consumers to become informed and shop based on their convictions. I personally think that's a recipe for disaster. As wages drop or remain stagnant individuals are less inclined to pay more for goods.
 
iliveonramen said:
Sure that's reality. Ever since unions have been smashed by conservatives rising productivity hasn't meant rising wages. Hence the stagnant wages for decades that conservatives pretend to care about. Typically wages should rise with productivity...that's the whole "trick down" theory which has been thoroughly discredited.

Bussiness owners are well compensated for taking risk. In what reality is that not the case? Better yet...how many fortune 500 companies are ran by managment that had any part in the founding of the companies they run?
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The rising productivity reported has little to do with workers and more to do with more efficient methods and equipment. Please tell me on what theory you base your notion that wages should rise with productivity.
 
iliveonramen said:
Is that a bad thing? If someone works and provides 60,000 dollars a year in productivity gains and is only paid 20,000 a year isn't that a redistribution? Few people really believe that owners aren't deserving of profit but there's also a point where workers are due a portion of the results of their labor.
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Isn't that why we promote the leaders and most effective employees?
 
iliveonramen said:
I agree to a certain extent...if we're going to operate in this cowboy capitalism model...or Libertarian model then sure it's on the backs of consumers to become informed and shop based on their convictions. I personally think that's a recipe for disaster. As wages drop or remain stagnant individuals are less inclined to pay more for goods.
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I already said something earlier in the thread, its not libertarianism in the slightest. Wal-Mart extracts a lot of competitive edge in tax breaks from every community they go into. Wal-Mart engages the system when it works for them, they will just have to live with it when it works against them.

Prosperity is the biggest obstacle to Wal-Mart employment model. As employment opportunities increase, they will have to make stronger wage choices to retain and hire employees. That solves a lot of issues all around.
 
MaggieD said:
The rising productivity reported has little to do with workers and more to do with more efficient methods and equipment. Please tell me on what theory you base your notion that wages should rise with productivity.
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Well it's pretty accepted across the board in economics. The relationship between productivity and wages is pretty much a core principle.

As for the efficient methods and equipment...that's generally how productivity increases. The industrial revolution was based on mechanization and led to a massive productivity increase...and led to higher wages as well.
 
OpportunityCost said:
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Why do you post things you cant possibly support?
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It's a no brainer :rolleyes: The skills/intelligence that differentiate a low-level employee in a Wal-Mart store from management amounts to nearly nothing. And so ability has little or no bearing on seniority, so connections/networks play a larger role in promotions.
 
Kal'Stang said:
And then thier wages drop dramatically when that buisness goes out of buisness due to Union bullying. Just ask Hostess and the thousands of people that lost thier jobs due to union bosses.
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That has been answered before ... BTW, is that why German industry is doing so horribly right now?
 
OpportunityCost said:
I already said something earlier in the thread, its not libertarianism in the slightest. Wal-Mart extracts a lot of competitive edge in tax breaks from every community they go into. Wal-Mart engages the system when it works for them, they will just have to live with it when it works against them.

Prosperity is the biggest obstacle to Wal-Mart employment model. As employment opportunities increase, they will have to make stronger wage choices to retain and hire employees. That solves a lot of issues all around.
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I definately agree that a loose labor market is bad for Wal-Mart employees and there will be some changes when employment starts dropping. I'm just not as optimistic as you that it will lead to much better wages. Retail/service not employes a very large chunk of US workers and generally have been notorious for a pretty long time for paying very low wages and providing very little benefits. I don't believe a major change will take place until workers in that sector unionize or the threat of unionization becomes real. I do hope I'm wrong though! I'm not pro-union as much as pro-decent wage.
 
Bobcat said:
We already have that, what you want is redistribution of income. Admit it.
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We obviously don't. I want a democratic economy ...
 
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