Wal-Mart: Poster Store for Greed

This is a crosspost from AFL-CIO Now Blog.

One of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about Wal-Mart is the mega-retailer's shoddy treatment of workers, including its sorry job safety record.

Over the years, Wal-Mart has been fined for blocking emergency exits, and so endangering workers, and for several years, implemented a "lock-in" policy at night so no one could enter or leave the building, leaving workers inside trapped.

But while Wal-Mart may not always follow federal job safety and health laws, the $315-billion-a-year corporate behemoth never would turn down the opportunity to make a buck. Even if that means selling posters that highlight federal and state labor laws.

Like workplace safety and health.

•  Stop the insanity

  By not shopping at Wal-Mart.

  Why Wal-Mart? There's a lot of different ways you can answer that question. You can talk about the negative impact they have on their workers. You can talk about the terrible effects they have on the community or the nation.

  But maybe this is the best way to understand:

  You're talking about a company with the economic power of Standard Oil and the values of Big Tobacco.

  -- Chris Kofinis, Wake-Up Wal-Mart.
  video source from Change to Win

  Costco doesn't do this kind of stuff. They pay their worker about 18.00/hr; cover 80+ percent with healthcare; pay their CEO a couple hundred thousand a year plus stock; and have an auto-enrollment policy for a company matched 401K. When they adopted the latter, at a cost to their bottom line, participation rates from the teens to the 80's.

  Costco is always a responsible alternative. And don't even get me started on the Shank family.

  by mbair on Mon May 05, 2008 at 10:11:30 AM PDT

•  Not to mention...

  ...their efforts against unionizing.

  by boran2 on Mon May 05, 2008 at 10:31:07 AM PDT

  •  I had to work at Wal-Mart

    for one summer, as there was no other job in the area I could get at the time. It was an experience, oh man. The friggin' videos about how unions are evil, etc. Plus those crazy "team-building" cheers and all....god I was glad to get out of there. Every day I had to put up a mental shield of "just don't let anything get to you, ignore it all" just to get through the day.

    The thing is, WalMart is really only the most blatant expression of the same sickness. I worked at a major department store too (where my bosses were much nicer people individually) and it was the same crap only in suits and dresses instead of blue vests. And the subject of every morning meeting was "how can we make more money." Our profits yesterday were only such and such, so you and you and you, sell more crap! You'll get a star if you sell as much crap as this person, etc. Our entire mentality has been reduced by corporate influence to thinking in terms of monetary value.

    by StudentThinker on Mon May 05, 2008 at 11:09:30 AM PDT

    •  I agree

      Wal-Mart is just one example but with 1.6 million employees they're the worst. Thanks for the perspective and a great comment.

      by mbair on Mon May 05, 2008 at 12:03:23 PM PDT

  •  Good point

    anyone realize that Wal-Mart allows unions in other countries, the kind of countries whose governments require it like Germany and, oh yeah, China.

    I really believe than the jobs wouldn't be unbearable in most cases if they had a strong union. Insane.

    by mbair on Mon May 05, 2008 at 12:06:45 PM PDT

•  Walmart free since 1990

  Don't shop at Walmart-For ANY reason.

  by Village expects idiot home soon on Mon May 05, 2008 at 10:46:17 AM PDT

  •  You beat me to it

    I stopped going a long time ago but not that soon.

    by mbair on Mon May 05, 2008 at 12:04:06 PM PDT