Wal-Mart CEO faces union push from workers

[bonniegl4]

I'll be the first to admit that I do not have complete information regarding the downstream impact of employees unionizing at Walmart (http://www.walmart.com); however, at first glance, I have to say I hope this moves forward.

The impact I see is possible leveling of the playing field for local companies. The reason Walmart (http://www.walmart.com) has the cheapest prices is because they treat their workforce like garbage. I have seen a few documentaries which take a deep dive inside the Walmart organization and it is not pretty.

The saddest part is that their customer base is often the same people who make up their work force. Do they just not realize it or do they not care?

Any thoughts?

[bpfovlih29]

You've got to be very careful when you start talking about "leveling the playing field." Wal-Mart offers low prices because it has focused very much on efficiency and cost controls and all that with its organization.

The Employee Free Choice Act is an Orwellian-named piece of legislation. It should be called the Employee No Choice Act, because it takes away the workers' right to a secret ballot vote. That is how it makes it easier to form a union. Because the union people can figure out exactly who voted in favor of the union and who didn't.

Furthermore, unionization does nothing good. Unions were necessary back in the days before proper labor laws and regulations when unscrupulous companies would chain children up to machines and had work rules where you had to work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, with no breaks, including bathroom breaks, so if you left your spot on the assembly line just to urinate, you lost your job.

Once such rules were put into place, most unions simply were created because the people wanted more money. The history of organized labor and organized crime go together like peas and carrots.

[bqjkqdht10]

Wal-Mart does good in making products and certain services cheaper than they otherwise would be. No one forces anyone to work at Wal-Mart. This is a highly-developed free-market society we have, it's not like Wal-Mart is the sole employer.

I don't like Wal-Mart in that they support a higher minimum wage and carbon cap-and-trade because they know such legislation will hurt their small business competitors (they are so big they could support the costs of such legislation), but in terms of their existence, I think they do good for the poor by making things cheaper.

Higher unionization leads not necessarily to higher prices, but to higher unemployment and fewer jobs.

Legislation that can make it easier to unionize is one thing, but the EFCA is not the way to go about it.

[BradlySeal]

If they are unionized then prices will go up. People will be laid off.. the first to go are the handicap and the elderly. I know many Wal-Mart employees and they love working there. Those documentaries are one-sided or show very little of the other side?€? that should be a flag.. a good documentary shows both sides.

Millions of people are feeding their families in this economic mess because of Wal-Mart.

Wal-mart isn't my favorite... there are some policies I don't like but, they do employ many many people!

Businesses fail around Wal-Mart because they don't change.. you need to change. Do it better or carry items they don't! A furniture store here is running ads that basically say you will pay a little more but, they have knowledgeable people to help you and you will save in the long run.

[Brandongus]

They may live in an area where the economy isn't so good, or they can't get a job elsewhere. They take what they can get. Treated bad or not if they aren't making much money no way they would shop anywhere else. Its cheap (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003EM8008/). They can't afford to shop elsewhere because they or anyone else has issues with their policy and treatment of workers. People talk so much shit about walmart (http://www.walmart.com) but they are all over makin money hand over fist. Doesn't matter how its done when they are so cheap. Those cost of savings type docs about walmart (http://www.walmart.com) try to guilt trip people but its really just one sided and people who hate big corps. Some people realize that lots of shoppers don't have a choice because they don't make enough to shop elsewhere.