Wal-Mart workers plan Black Friday walkout

[envy_me]

I live in a world where non-educated, unskilled workers stock shelves in Wal-Marts and make about around $8-10 an hour. Then if you move into skilled positions such as IT, logisitcs, procurement, transportation and facilities jobs... Wal-Mart pays competitively within US corporate ranges with benefits.

What's life like on your planet?

I have to disagree. No matter what their education is, you people HAVE to have someone stocking food in a grocery store. If everybody in the whole world had a Ph.D some of them would still have to work in a grocery store.
And even if their job isn't as "important" as lets say a lawyer, they still sacrifise their time and body/health. Give them a break.

[BigBadBrian]

I have to disagree. No matter what their education is, you people HAVE to have someone stocking food in a grocery store. If everybody in the whole world had a Ph.D some of them would still have to work in a grocery store.

And they'll still be making $8-10 regardless of their education. People are paid by position in the blue-collar workforce and not by education.

And even if their job isn't as "important" as lets say a lawyer, they still sacrifise their time and body/health. Give them a break.

So a PhD stocking shelves should make what...$40 an hour?

[envy_me]

And they'll still be making $8-10 regardless of their education. People are paid by position in the blue-collar workforce and not by education.

That is what I said. If you look at posts before mine, the education was an argument for the low wages. My point is that SOMEBODY has to do these jobs.

So a PhD stocking shelves should make what...$40 an hour?

I don't know which amount they are fighing for. But in a society everyone benefits it the gap between rich and poor decreases. I was talking to a lady from the union and she was in south africa recently. People in "better" areas had all high fences with barb wire around theit property.
Here the desperation never reaches those levels. While Carl Bildt was minister of foreign affairs and prime minister of the country, he used to ride the bike to work every day. No bodyguards or anything. I think he appriciated not being forced to walk around with all the bodyguards and security.

You see, everybody is better off if nobody in the society is desperate.

[Satan]

That's called revenue. You don't make money unless you sell something for more than you paid for it. You don't make money paying employees $5 an hour more than their labor is worth.

At the very least, you should pay them enough money to afford to buy the crap that they sell at Wal Mart.

WalMart claims to have the lowest prices in town, but their own employees have to be on food stamps in order to buy groceries there?

That's just fucking wrong. No way to spin it otherwise. It's one thing for the government to help out those who are in a (hopefully temporary) bad situation. It's entirely another matter to be effectively subsidizing one of the richest families in America, by picking up the tab of feeding their full time employees.

[ZahZoo]

You can't fire people for striking. It is their right. Didn't you know that?

Only if they are union employees... and under specific collective bargaining terms.

If they are non-union and they choose to strike... in most states you get your ass fired on the spot. More often you might have a protest which it involves people calling in sick. As long as you're not violating your company's HR terms of employment you may not lose your job. But in most states non-union employees can be fired without cause... You don't have the right to strike... well I guess you do... you just don't have any legal right to remain employed if you do.

[envy_me]

Only if they are union employees... and under specific collective bargaining terms.

If they are non-union and they choose to strike... in most states you get your ass fired on the spot. More often you might have a protest which it involves people calling in sick. As long as you're not violating your company's HR terms of employment you may not lose your job. But in most states non-union employees can be fired without cause... You don't have the right to strike... well I guess you do... you just don't have any legal right to remain employed if you do.

Okay, here most legit companies are under collective agreement with the union, and don't fire people at strike even if they aren't in union. Even when union negotiates higher salaries, everybody gets them, not just people who are members of the union. Much thanks to the collective agreement.

Everybody should just join the union.

[VAiN]

Dumb, smug comments that have nothing to do with the topic, much?

Use played-out, outdated comebacks, much? Anyway, it wasn't directed at you, so whatever.

[So this is love]

Okay, here most legit companies are under collective agreement with the union, and don't fire people at strike even if they aren't in union. Even when union negotiates higher salaries, everybody gets them, not just people who are members of the union. Much thanks to the collective agreement.

Everybody should just join the union.

Sweden and the US are at opposite ends when it comes to economic and social models...

[DLR Bridge]

Not to geek this discussion out too much, but, on Star Trek The Next Generation, I was always under the impression that the ships paleo-botanist, Keiko was earning the same as the ships bar-keep, Gynan who was earning the same as Picard. How exactly did Gino Rodenberry arrive at his inter-planetary equal pay model? He was the man with the answers. Ain't no Wal-Mart on Rigel IV.

[DONNIEP]

I thought they did away with money all together?

[chefcraig]

I thought they did away with money all together?

Yeah, that was a head-scratcher. In one moment, Kirk had pawned his glasses after time traveling back to Earth to find some whales during Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , and advised his shipmates (while dividing up the spoils) not to splurge. So obviously he knew about the terminology of money, while Spock apparently did not:

Spock: [to Kirk] What does it mean, "exact change"?

Then later in the film, the following exchange takes place:

Dr. Gillian Taylor: Don't tell me you don't use money in the 23rd Century.
Kirk: Well, we don't.

I guess this is due to one of the paradoxes provided by the space/time continuum involving time travel, and first uttered by Leonard McCoy early in the film:

McCoy: You're going to try time traveling in this rustbucket?
Kirk: Well, we've done it before.
McCoy: Sure, you slingshot around the Sun, pick up enough speed - You're in time warp. If you don't, you're fried.
Kirk: I prefer it to nothing.
McCoy: I prefer a dose of common sense! You're proposing that we go backwards in time, find humpback whales, then bring them foward in time, drop 'em off, and hope to Hell they tell this probe what to do with itself!
Kirk: That's the general idea.
McCoy: Well, that's crazy!
Kirk: You've got a better idea?

[Kristy]

I know Wal-Mart hasn't always been the perfect employer... nor are they today. I just don't think that a large majority of their employees are abused... nor are being significantly under-paid for the level of work they do.

They are far from being even a decent employer <object id="msnbc5dc780" classid="clsid>




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[ZahZoo]

Ok Kristy you've convinced me... they are the most evil retailer on earth.

But I'm still stopping by there today for the simple reason that I need more Cherrios and I'd rather go witness the suffering, oppressed employees standing around doing nothing and pay $3.48 for the same box that the "local" grocery chain charges $4.89 for.

[Kristy]

Ok Kristy you've convinced me... they are the most evil retailer on earth.

But I'm still stopping by there today for the simple reason that I need more Cherrios and I'd rather go witness the suffering, oppressed employees standing around doing nothing and pay $3.48 for the same box that the "local" grocery chain charges $4.89 for.

They are. Pay a shit wage, keep people in poverty so all you high and mighty IT dudes can laugh at them behind your crappy $3.48 Cheerios

[Kristy]

Must also be great for you, Zah, shopping at Wal-Fart conscious free

http://occupyamerica.crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/bangladesh-factory-fire-kills-least-11