Unions Help Workers

How much of a raise did Wal-Mart’s U.S. workers collectively bargain for this year?  Can’t remember?  That’s because it didn’t happen.

How much of a raise did some unionized Wal-Mart China workers collectively bargain for this year?  8% over last years wages and another 8% in 2009 over the already increased 2008 wages.

According to a Xinhua News article, the trade union for Wal-Mart workers in Jinjiang, Fujian also successfully negotiated issues of hours worked, general rest and vacation time, insurance, and worker safety.  Full time staff will enjoy rights to vacation days, marital leave, maternity leave, and parental leave.

How’s that compare to Wal-Mart’s U.S. workers?  I seem to recall reading something about Wal-Mart wanting more part time labor and wage caps.  And as another cost saving measure didn’t Wal-Mart violate labor laws over 2 million times in just six years - in Minnesota alone!?

So while the Chinese union and Wal-Mart have signed collective bargaining agreements in two stores (within two weeks! and will probably be signing many more in the next few weeks), unrepresented Wal-Mart U.S. workers are left waiting on litigation.  Maybe Wal-Mart U.S. could use a union too?

Posted by Michael Mignano on Thursday, July 24, 2008

Click Here for a Printer-Friendly Version

COMMENTS

I’ll bet at this point WalMart’s Tom Mars and the remaining sinless Bentonville executives are wishing they could deport former WalMart Vice President and convicted sleazebag Tom Coughlin to China for his ‘punishment’. This would be because apparently the Chinese government won’t allow WalMart’s corporate jets full of union busting thugs into JIANGBEI airport in CHONGQING or BAIYUN INTERNATIONAL in GUANGZHOU.

“A pig that has two owners is sure to die of hunger.” English Proverb

我打赌这时WALMART Tom Mars的汤姆火星和剩余的无罪Bentonville董事是祝愿他们可能递解前WALMART副总统和被判罪的sleazebag汤姆Tom Coughlin对中国为他的‘处罚’。 这是,因为中国政府在重庆不会充分将明显地允许WALMART的公司喷气机联合取消恶棍入江北机场或BAIYUN国际在广州

有二个所有者的猪是肯定的对饥饿模子。 英国谚语

我打賭這時WALMART Tom Mars的湯姆火星和剩餘的無罪Bentonville董事是祝願他們可能遞解前WALMART副總統和被判罪的sleazebag湯姆Tom Coughlin對中國為他的『處罰』。 這是,因為中國政府在重慶不會充分將明顯地允許WALMART的公司噴氣機聯合取消惡棍入江北機場或BAIYUN國際在廣州

某些二個所有者的豬是肯定的對飢餓的模子。 英國諺語

SanDiegoView in WalMart is an economic whorehouse
Friday, July 25 at 05:49 AM

June 26, 2007 | EPI Issue Brief #235

The Wal-Mart effect
Its Chinese imports have displaced nearly 200,000 U.S. jobs

by Robert E. Scott

China’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) was supposed to improve the U.S. trade deficit with China and create good jobs in the United States. But those promises have gone unfulfilled: the total U.S. trade deficit with China reached $235 billion in 2006. Between 2001 and 2006, this growing deficit eliminated 1.8 million U.S. jobs (Scott 2007). The world’s biggest retailer, U.S.-based Wal-Mart was responsible for $27 billion in U.S. imports from China in 2006 and 11% of the growth of the total U.S. trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2006. Wal-Mart’s trade deficit with China alone eliminated nearly 200,000 U.S. jobs in this period.

The manufacturing sector and its workers were hardest hit by the growth of Wal-Mart’s imports. Wal-Mart’s increased trade deficit with China eliminated 133,000 manufacturing jobs, 68% of those jobs lost from Wal-Mart’s imports. Jobs in the manufacturing sector pay higher wages and provide better benefits than most other industries, especially for workers with less than a college education.

China has achieved its rapidly growing trade surpluses by purchasing more than $1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bills and other government securities over the past few years in order to artificially and illegally reduce the value of its currency and thereby lower the cost of its exports to the United States and other countries. ~~~~~~~~~

ddrb in
Friday, July 25 at 10:35 AM

One in Four Americans Compare Their Workplace to a Dictatorship

Posted by Meg White, BuzzFlash at 8:23 AM on July 23, 2008.

Dictatorships are not good for businesses, or nations.

According to a Workplace Democracy Association/Zogby Interactive survey, 25 percent of Americans compares their workplace to a dictatorship. In the most comprehensive study of the phenomenon to date, the poll also found that adopting more egalitarian processes might be the solution.

“Companies that want to boost employee engagement levels must adopt democratic and innovative practices in the way the entire company is managed,” said Workplace Democracy Association President Asher Adelman. “Executives should be sharing information with all employees about the company’s ongoing performance and goals, and employees should be empowered with greater discretion and decision-making abilities.”

According to Zogby, “The survey also found that less than half of working Americans—46%—said their workplace promotes creative or inventive ideas, while barely half—51%—said their co-workers often feel motivated or are mostly motivated at work.”

Interestingly, according to a study released earlier this year by the Bertelsmann Foundation, almost 40 percent of the world’s population lives under a dictatorship.

The German non-profit group found that “52 of the 75 democracies investigated show considerable defects in the rule of law and political integration. In many cases, there is no moderate and stable representative party system, balanced representation of interests or a strong civil society.”

As Zimbabwean opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai would no doubt agree, just because you have elections doesn’t mean you’re a democracy.

Dictatorships aren’t productive for nations or for businesses.

There’s a lesson to be learned there.~~~~~~~~Alternet

ddrb in
Friday, July 25 at 11:38 PM

Has anybody besides me, noticed that SDV is starting to post a lot in Chinese, maybe he’s getting ready for a move!!

RDS in
Saturday, July 26 at 11:59 AM

RDS: Is’nt familiarizing oneself as many languages as possible is an indication of forward thinking intellectual ability? Who knows,perhaps SDV is planning to attend the Beijing Olympics,next month?

ddrb in
Saturday, July 26 at 07:09 PM

noticed that SDV is starting to post a lot in Chinese

Since I don’t have the Chinese character software it all looks like this to me:

=======Coughlin========, etc.

I don’t think someone getting a good deal on toilet paper at Walmart is, through their purchase, endorsing Walmart’s business practices. ~ Greg Spotts

Ken V in Texas
Sunday, July 27 at 07:05 AM

The first paragraph in English is translated into Chinese (Simple) in the second section. The third section is the same translated into the somewhat different Chinese (Traditional). I am working on becoming familiar with CIL (Chinese Internet Language) so Bentonville can have a better appreciation of my efforts with the worlds largest internet group of 18-24 year olds.

SanDiegoView in Walmart 需要宣传生存 (is a whorehouse)
Sunday, July 27 at 08:34 AM

Correction.

需要宣传生存 = Needs to propagandize for survival.
(Chinese Simplified)

是妓院= Is the brothel
(Chinese Simplified)

WalMart and western names I have kept in English for now until I can translate them properly.

SanDiegoView in WalMart 是妓院
Sunday, July 27 at 08:53 AM

Additional.

The word sleazebag translates out as ‘inexpensive bag’ and dirt bag translates out as ‘Earth bag’. I think it is important when writing about WalMart to the Chinese that they learn the English word ‘sleazebag’ as it so highly represents WalMart in definition.

SanDiegoView in WalMart finances the Communist Party in China
Sunday, July 27 at 09:09 AM

how about your slob dirtbags at costco sdv being too cheap and lazy to give full time work to all?if anyone is dirtbags sdv its costco not wm.

m att hew vantress in gresham,oregon
Monday, July 28 at 05:41 AM

ps i was the only one that costco was not willing to give full time work to.can someone explain why?i know im a loser ahole but how did they find out before hiring me?

m att hew vantress in gresham,oregon
Monday, July 28 at 06:11 AM

SDV: Upon reading the above post(and the repetitive derivatives,ad infintum thereof,)could “douchebag” be translated to an approximate of sleazebag?

ddrb in
Monday, July 28 at 11:34 AM

sac de douche (French) = 袋子阵雨 (Chinese Simplified)

袋子阵雨 (Chinese Simplified) = bag shower (English)

douche bag (English) = att hew ma antressva (Pig Latin)

Try to govern yourselves accordingly.

SanDiegoView in WalMart is America's retail 精神病患者 (psych
Monday, July 28 at 06:42 PM

That should complete as ...America’s retail 精神病患者 (psychopath)

SanDiegoView in WalMart 是妓院
Monday, July 28 at 06:45 PM

SDV: You da MAN! You da GOVERNATOR!!

ddrb in
Monday, July 28 at 07:10 PM

Commenting is not available in this content entry.

Comment Policy

WalmartWatch.com reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove or refuse to post blog comments.