More Socialism for the Wealthy

| | Comments (0)


Wal-Mart is telling their employees to go get welfare and food stamps to supplement their paltry paychecks. Wal-mart employees are also being force to attend anti-union classes during which they are being told that a vote for Obama could force Wal-Mart to cut jobs.

Wal-Mart's Desperate War Against Unionization

by ZP Heller


The nation's biggest private employer is also its most notorious union-hater.  The Wall Street Journal reported that Wal-Mart has been swaying workers from voting Democrat this November, fearing that the Democrats' proposed Employee Free Choice Act would make unionizing possible in Wal-Mart stores.

In an act that reeks of desperation, the mega retailer has been holding "mandatory" meetings for thousands of store managers and department heads, scaring their employees by stressing the "downsides" of unionization.  

From the WSJ:

"According to about a dozen Wal-Mart employees who attended such meetings in seven states, Wal-Mart executives claim that employees at unionized stores would have to pay hefty union dues while getting nothing in return, and may have to go on strike without compensation. Also, unionization could mean fewer jobs as labor costs rise."

The Employee Free Choice Act that Wal-Mart so adamantly opposes would enable labor groups to organize with a "card check" system instead of the current single secret-ballot election that is prone to anti-union protests from Wal-Mart corporate.  Barack Obama co-sponsored EFCA, and not surprisingly, John McCain opposed it. 

While it's illegal for Wal-Mart to tell workers who to vote for, the WSJ claimed that employees said Wal-Mart's human recources managers told them that "voting for Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama would be tantamount to inviting unions in." 

Here's the hysterical argument from the business interests:

They're right about one thing, its all about power...mainly the threat they will lose theirs and the workers will gain some.


While the WSJ report is certainly stunning, it's by no means a shocker.  Wal-Mart's anti-union track record has been appalling for years.  They spend millions flying in their "rapid response teams" on private jets from their Bentonville, AK headquarters just to quash any suspected union activity.  And when employees are actually successful in unionizing, the company treats that department (or entire store) like a cancerous tumor and has it excised.

Wal-Mart's latest stunt just proves unionization is their worst nightmare.  It would mean they would have to pay workers wages that aren't below the poverty line.  It would mean they would have to provide workers with adequate health care coverage.  Hell, it would mean they would have to treat their workers with fairness and decency for a change.

And as to Wal-Mart scaring workers into believing that if Democrats win in November, they will lose, I ask this: if you're a Wal-Mart employee who's making a meager hourly wage that doesn't even cover the cost of food for your family or doctors' visits for your children, haven't you lost already?

Leave a comment

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by cul published on August 3, 2008 4:06 PM.

Things said I've said was the previous entry in this blog.

Why Workers Need the Employee Free Choice Act is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.