you are a coalition of labour and left poltical groups. you didnt speak up when walmart was running over small businesses of middle America

Sears/KMart/Target everybody buys from China...the China argument has no weight

Walmart does give poor employee benefits...and we should rally against that.

but you are inethically making wrong arguments

tom,
this group is speaking out for small businesses in America and they are rallying for better health care at walmart. I agree also that many companies buy goods from china but that is because walmart has FORCED manufacturers to move their operations to China.

Chris,

Are you saying that before Wal-Mart, manufacturers did not take advantage of low wage labor in China or South America? That would be ridiculous. Wal-Mart did not set the trend, it’s just a follower.

The only way to get Wal-Mart to not buy chinese goods, is to prohibit every retailer from doing so. The only way I see that happening is if the government starts to act. So, I am waiting for someone to start “governmentwatch.com.” But I guess to the left it’s not “hip” to gang up on the government.

I agree that walmart did not start the trend that they followed a growing trend. However, they are now the leader of the pack. As the biggest company in America they should start a new trend and follow their commitment to “Buy America”. I also agree that government needs to take action to stop the outsourcing of our jobs. Obviously NAFTA was a bad agreement for the American people and the government should take responsibility and correct its mistake.

Actually, we are working with all types of organizations that would be considered both"left" as well as “right” wing. This is not about party or political leanings; it is about America and standing up for what’s right. I have been priveleged to work with many talented young people at Christian colleges who are outraged at walmart’s unethical business practices. One of the reasons I love working on this project is because we are uniting all Americans!

PS The school tour is going well! I will blog soon…

People!
Here we have an operation, which is mostly funded by a union in desperate needs of income, that is targeting a single company. Even if you succeed in bringing down Wal-Mart, there will be someone else to replace them the following day.

By pursuing such a narrow minded path, it becomes very obvious what the real intentions of the financiers of this website are. They are certainly not out to get better working conditions for ALL american workers. They are instead pursuing a gold mine. They have outsourced their morals. I said it before, and I’ll say it again: The UFCW is no better than Wal-Mart. Their greed led them to neglect the majority of american workers. Shame on them!

Edgar,
Excellent post.  I was a UFCW worker.  I can vouch for what you are saying.

Thanks for the fun reading.  I work at Wal-Mart been there over year and half and hope someday to move into management.  I like working there and no its not perfect and you know what Walmart never says they are perfect and always work to improve.  Read the book called the Wal-mart way.  The past executive says in book Wal-mart isn’t perfect and all the negative feedback helps us get better.  How many small businesses have a 401(K) or profit sharing or health insurance.  I am sure many don’t since they can’t afford it or wait many are out to get rich just like everyone else.  Welcome to capitalism.  4% of my pay this year was put into a retirement account.  Of which 2% is automatically vested.  Most firms make you work there 7 years to be fully vested.  I am not going to retire tommorow on that 2% but it is something they don’t have to give me. I have to work 7 years to vest the other 2% but that is money I got for free.  I didn’t have to contribute a dime to the plan.  Plus the 15% discount on stock purchase which once again has no hold period.  I worked for other firms that made you hold the shares for a year before you can sell and keep the 15% discount.  Not wal-mart.  Plus the 10% discount on purchases helps too.  I worked at brokerage firm and you think I got a discount on trades.  Of course not we had to trade with the firm and pay higher commisions then you could pay at other firms.  So yes Wal-mart isn’t perfect and there is not golden ring to grasp to make it perfect.  But I and all the other asssociates will continue to work and have fun there and try to make the company better in the future.  But I will never join a union and thank god I work in a right to work state.  Ever heard of the “Mickey Mouse Union” at Walt Disney World properties.  Its great ever few years the union renegotiates here in Floriday the contract for Disney workers.  Why they call it a Mickey Mouse union cause Disney holds the line and the unions always back down and take about the same package Disney offered in first place.  Great to see those union dues going for little.

Yes, the union UCFW is only looking for money. weak up people!!!! They only finanze this kind of groups to obtain money. $13 per hours, oh yeah, but $4 are for the union, so at the end you finished with the same amount of money as if you were in walmart, so Where is the change????

Issac, your math is wrong my friend.  Here are the average wages for union members vs. non union members by industy.

http://www.laborresearch.org/charts.php?id=34

That doesn’t even take into account the benefits.  Most union members don’t pay a monthly premium for health insurance. 

I’ll gladly pay my $10 weekly dues in exchange for that. 

To say that organizing Wal-Mart wouldn’t acheive anything for it’s workers is being ignorant of the facts.  Why the hell do you think Wal-Mart fights so hard to keep unions out?  For the good of their employees???  Please.

In this area Wal Marts pay as much or more than the retail outlets of the competition. The also have as good of or better benifits and a higher percentage of full time employees. Many of you that complain about Wal Mart buying from China have more foriegn made products in your lives such as cars, electronics, appliances and clothes. Also many formerly union stores in this area have booted out the union because they feel it is worthless. The unions are a business and want money, that’s it. And it comes from dues, and for this mostly they protect the worker that we would all be better off if our company could fire them. I also think it is funny that the stores that hate Wal Mart are now trying to get our business back are reducing prices. It was those prices that made us choose to leave them and go to Wal Mart. I can find the same items at Wal Mart that are in our local stores for much less money, if we had not been overcharged for years we would not have switched our loyalties. These business people had the same opportunity that Wal Mart had and chose a path that left it open for Wal Mart to show us just how these independents afforded their big homes and boats and cars by charging us NEIGHBORS ripoff prices. Start telling BOTH sides of the story. Signed-A former union member of a retail company that has expierenced it and knows what it is about.

You guys are trying to ebb a tide that is unstoppable, as someone previously said, ‘if not Wal-Mart then someone else’. That is so true. This is all progress my friends, no matter what you want to call it. The industrial revolution created some pretty crappy jobs for Americans as well but did that cause Americans to stand up to and stop the technological innovations and creations that were occuring? No of course not. No one in his right mind was arguing for a return to agricultural work, nor would that have been an option.

Progress is eminent, we can either embrace it or be pushed aside by it.

So stop living in the past It is fine to want to reform unethical operations but not against the entire business plan of cheap labor and cheap prices! These are things that are at the core of every business model, they are what make a business competetive!

Whatever company it is any more, they are not out to make the employees any where near rich.  They are out for themsleves.  great if you fit some how.  Employees are pretty much mostly numbers when it come to the bottom line.  Stay in school for more or make your own dream somehow.