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Walmart Threatened Workers For Trying To Organize, Judge Rules

Helix said:
no kidding. it's amazing how one can defend a corporation selling its product for as much of a profit as possible and then turn around and get defensive / hostile when someone tries to do the same for his or her labor.
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You realize walmart's profit margins are miniscule, right?
 
I frequently work with or meet with the EEOC folk for our district. And when ongoing case law or examples of bad faith by employers are discussed, Walmart is nearly always mentioned. From overtime pay violations, discrimination, retaliation, etc, Walmart really has shown itself to be a terrible employer.

I try to avoid the place as much as possible, they are awful...go to Costco instead...they take good care of employees.
 
Rentoc said:
then the company shuts down the store and everyone who had a job there no longer has one.
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Yeah, that's very illegal. When a company does that they wind up paying out through the nose in back pay and fines. Organizing is a protected right.

If a company is being organized there;s a good reason for it. There's a loggerhead going on about something.
 
countryboy said:
You realize walmart's profit margins are miniscule, right?
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Yeah, but you're talking about 3 plus percent on $476 billion in revenue. 3% of 10 is a lot less than 3% of 1,000. Costco has 12% margin on $122 million and they're doing fine. Many of their stores are organized. Macy's is at 3%. Many Macy's stores are organized as well. What we'er talking about is volume of sales and walmart might want to let others drink from the well...
 
beefheart said:
I frequently work with or meet with the EEOC folk for our district. And when ongoing case law or examples of bad faith by employers are discussed, Walmart is nearly always mentioned. From overtime pay violations, discrimination, retaliation, etc, Walmart really has shown itself to be a terrible employer.

I try to avoid the place as much as possible, they are awful...go to Costco instead...they take good care of employees.
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You'll forgive me if I'm skeptical of your opinion of Walmart. My experience, from actually knowing people who work there, is quite different.
 
jet57 said:
Yeah, that's very illegal. When a company does that they wind up paying out through the nose in back pay and fines. Organizing is a protected right.

If a company is being organized there;s a good reason for it. There's a loggerhead going on about something.
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The fight is about folks who have a belief that they are entitled to whatever they want. People believe that they don't have to earn a good pay rate, they are entitled to one simply because they breath air. I work for a WalMart. I am not management nor even a supervisor (although at one time I was) and I make a decent wage. I have been with the company for 11 years and I honestly cannot remember what my wage was when I started. Well below $10.00 an hour. My schedule is regular, and I am a full time employee. I wasn't when I started, I had to EARN that.

When you get hired in ANY job they make you a job offer and tell you what your schedule will be and how much pay you will receive. If you have issues with either, DON'T TAKE THE JOB!
 
beefheart said:
I frequently work with or meet with the EEOC folk for our district. And when ongoing case law or examples of bad faith by employers are discussed, Walmart is nearly always mentioned. From overtime pay violations, discrimination, retaliation, etc, Walmart really has shown itself to be a terrible employer.

I try to avoid the place as much as possible, they are awful...go to Costco instead...they take good care of employees.
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I have known many people who file complaints against the WalMart that I work for. 100% of them are false claims based on their "knowledge" of what can and cannot be asked of them as employees. Most of them are people who want to be paid for doing nothing. Who take the job because after all it's only WalMart, it's not like it's a "real" job. Then they discover that the Company actually expects you to work, to be on time, to show up when you are scheduled. It is a shock to many.
 
jet57 said:
Yeah, but you're talking about 3 plus percent on $476 billion in revenue. 3% of 10 is a lot less than 3% of 1,000. Costco has 12% margin on $122 million and they're doing fine. Many of their stores are organized. Macy's is at 3%. Many Macy's stores are organized as well. What we'er talking about is volume of sales and walmart might want to let others drink from the well...
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this has been discussed ad nausea. walmart and Costco are not the same they are not where close to the same.
they have completely different business models and target completely different people.

most of the people that get into walmart can't afford to shop at Costco.
it is an apples and oranges comparison.
 
ludin said:
this has been discussed ad nausea. walmart and Costco are not the same they are not where close to the same.
they have completely different business models and target completely different people.

most of the people that get into walmart can't afford to shop at Costco.
it is an apples and oranges comparison.
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No it isn't: it's the retail goods market. Just like an auto parts store. So - no cigar.
 
jet57 said:
No it isn't: it's the retail goods market. Just like an auto parts store. So - no cigar.
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Yes, they both are in the retail business....that you have right. But, they both are targeting different clientele of that same sector.
 
jet57 said:
Yeah, that's very illegal. When a company does that they wind up paying out through the nose in back pay and fines. Organizing is a protected right.

If a company is being organized there;s a good reason for it. There's a loggerhead going on about something.
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Shutting down a store is illegal? Where?

So far, Walmart is not being unionzed. And, while I agree that is a reason for the attempt, it does not necessarily follow that the reason has something to do with advantages to employees or company. The most likely beneficiary is the union. Millions of employees contrbuting billions of bucks to the coffers. Union boss gets a new jet and a vacation home in the Bahamas.
 
jet57 said:
No it isn't: it's the retail goods market. Just like an auto parts store. So - no cigar.
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you are wrong. it isn't just retail goods market there are vast differences.

1. Costco charges you to get in. walmart does not.
it costs either $55 for basic membership or $110 for executive membership.

Why Can

they are not the same or even have the same business model.

no it just goes to show you have no idea what you are talking about.
 
Rentoc said:
I have known many people who file complaints against the WalMart that I work for. 100% of them are false claims based on their "knowledge" of what can and cannot be asked of them as employees. Most of them are people who want to be paid for doing nothing. Who take the job because after all it's only WalMart, it's not like it's a "real" job. Then they discover that the Company actually expects you to work, to be on time, to show up when you are scheduled. It is a shock to many.
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Trust me, I know all about false EEOC charges, I used to be the guy who handled them on the management side (and I have submitted a charge). While there are many claims, the EEOC will litigate for claims that are deemed to be the most valid, it is a tiny percentage of the claims they get. They typically will litigate on the claims they know they will win, and they have won some big ones against Walmart, same with the DOLWage and Hour division.
 
ludin said:
you are wrong. it isn't just retail goods market there are vast differences.

1. Costco charges you to get in. walmart does not.
it costs either $55 for basic membership or $110 for executive membership.

Why Can

they are not the same or even have the same business model.

no it just goes to show you have no idea what you are talking about.
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Costco's charge is worth every penny, especially if you travel and have to buy gas. Costco's in Hawaii charge 20-40 cents less per gallon.
 
tres borrachos said:
the fact that when one gets built, you lose a lot of neat downtown shops.

I feel that way of all the big chains. As soon as a Lowes or Home Depot or Target etc. comes to town, you can kiss the small guy goodbye. But that's business. The only way to prevent it is to do what Vermont did, and keep them out of the state for years. Funny thing is, the citizens of VT and the lawmakers were so proud of the fact that they kept WalMart out for so long. Next thing you know, they allow 4 of them to open - and guess what? They're the busiest damn stores in the entire state. So there's a demand for them.

I only shopped there when I was buying diapers and formula, but that's been a while.
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it didn't really hit me until i started spending a lot of time in Chicago. i mean, there are just blocks and blocks and blocks of neat independent stores. my GF and i have eaten at all of these great independent restaurants and shopped for things at specialty stores that you've never heard of. sure, there are some chains around, but most of it is cool little shops, and there's enough foot traffic to keep them in business. reminds me of when i was a really little kid in the 1970s and my own downtown was filled with shops. i kind of miss that.
 
beefheart said:
Costco's charge is worth every penny, especially if you travel and have to buy gas. Costco's in Hawaii charge 20-40 cents less per gallon.
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If you can afford it. walmart targets people that can't afford it. like I said you don't understand the customer base or the people that they are marketing to.
 
Meister said:
Which isn't the case with Walmart, they undersell the competition and is why low and middle income people swear by Walmart.
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they swear by walmart because they can't afford anything else, due in part to wage stagnation.

i don't really get why the right is so passionate about walmart. if you say anything bad about the store, you get a swarm of pissed off conservatives defending the place until their dying breath. the place kind of sucks, man, and not just because of the way they treat their workers. the whole shopping experience there is kind of depressing. i doubt many of you really like to shop there either, if you were to be honest. yeah, i know. **** there is cheap.

*braces for 500 notifications
 
cpwill said:
Sure. And if Wal-Mart isn't willing to pay those higher costs for the service, then that is also fair :shrug:.
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yep. they can close as many stores as they like in response. or, they could treat their employees a bit better, and avoid the issue entirely.
 
countryboy said:
You realize walmart's profit margins are miniscule, right?
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you realize that you are paying for public assistance for their employees via taxes, right?

look, i'm not arguing that we should seize and liquidate the ****ing chain. just raise prices a little bit, leave the base salary where it is, and give people more opportunities for promotion and raises. i don't see how that could even be slightly controversial.
 
surprised the workers weren't locked in the bathroom overnight and threatened with deportation
 
Helix said:
it didn't really hit me until i started spending a lot of time in Chicago. i mean, there are just blocks and blocks and blocks of neat independent stores. my GF and i have eaten at all of these great independent restaurants and shopped for things at specialty stores that you've never heard of. sure, there are some chains around, but most of it is cool little shops, and there's enough foot traffic to keep them in business. reminds me of when i was a really little kid in the 1970s and my own downtown was filled with shops. i kind of miss that.
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I hate chains of any kind, generally speaking. I love to give my business to privately owned (insert business here) instead of the chains, any of the chains. We have an independent pharmacy still that still exists near me, right at the corner of Walgreens and CVS. I always go to them (little guy) even though I'm hosing myself financially. My parents always frequented the small stores of any kind as well. I miss those days too.
 
Meister said:
Yes, they both are in the retail business....that you have right. But, they both are targeting different clientele of that same sector.
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I don't see that. There are plenty of poor people that shop at Costco and Macy's: I see them. Walmart's model has been to low-ball all other retailers: that's a preditory practice and that alone is responsible for the heat walmart has been taking, that's why walmart has been denied operations in some areas. They've been ripping off their people for years. My sister in law is anti union, she worked for a walmart for some time and she hates them now because of how they messed with her hours and pay.

Retail is retail. The restaurant business is the restaurant business. You can package it any way you like: mcdonald's is running at a 15% profit margin. In 2013 they realized revenue of $28 billion! They rip their people off as well as the public and mcdonalds is getting slammed for it.

Sorry, but I just don't buy your premise.
 
jimbo said:
Shutting down a store is illegal? Where?

So far, Walmart is not being unionzed. And, while I agree that is a reason for the attempt, it does not necessarily follow that the reason has something to do with advantages to employees or company. The most likely beneficiary is the union. Millions of employees contrbuting billions of bucks to the coffers. Union boss gets a new jet and a vacation home in the Bahamas.
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Shutting down a store, or any business during an organizing drive is illegal.
 
Helix said:
you realize that you are paying for public assistance for their employees via taxes, right?

look, i'm not arguing that we should seize and liquidate the ****ing chain. just raise prices a little bit, leave the base salary where it is, and give people more opportunities for promotion and raises. i don't see how that could even be slightly controversial.
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it depends on what is needed for the store. it also depends on the number of positions available and who wants them.
no everyone wants to be the department supervisor in auto or sporting goods.

as you move up the number of positions narrows. IE only 1 store manager and maybe 2 or 3 assistant managers.
it scales downward from there.
 
jet57 said:
Shutting down a store, or any business during an organizing drive is illegal.
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they aren't organizing. some are talking about it. they have not filed a petition for organization so the store can do whatever it wants to do.
 
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