Walmart:11-21-06 Wal-Mart slashes food prices in half ahead of Thanksgiving

[XZeroII]

No offense Dave, but that is not a great deal for a laptop. It has a very slow processor with only 128mb of RAM, 14" screen and it is running Linspire (formerly Lindows). If all you're looking to do is some word processing and web surfing, get a used one with similar specs and Windows for less. Just my oppinion.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: XZeroII
No offense Dave, but that is not a great deal for a laptop. It has a very slow processor with only 128mb of RAM, 14" screen and it is running Linspire (formerly Lindows). If all you're looking to do is some word processing and web surfing, get a used one with similar specs and Windows for less. Just my oppinion.

At first I thought the same thing but apparently the Linux code is a lot more efficient than Winblows and it's very snappy.

 

[dmcowen674]

1-19-2005 Second Canadian Wal-Mart Store Gets Union

TORONTO - A second Wal-Mart store in Quebec received union certification after a majority of the store's employees signed cards indicating the Canadian arm of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union was their official agent for collective bargaining, the union said Wednesday.

Wal-Mart Canada spokesman Andrew Pelletier said the company is reviewing all its options, including a legal challenge to the decision by the Quebec Labour Relations Commission

Pelletier said that while Wal-Mart respects the laws and legal process in Quebec, he called the decision to automatically certify the store "undemocratic."

"This concerns us because we believe the only way to ensure associates can express their views without coercion or intimidation is by allowing a secret-ballot vote to take place," he said.

He noted that employees at two stores in Saskatchewan have hired a lawyer and brought formal charges against the UFCW, alleging they were coerced into signing union cards.
======================================================

Would sure like to know if the "coersion" is real or generated by Wally World PR.

 

[Schrodinger]

Should have fired them all and hired new people. Ungrateful minimum wage earners.

Edit: that was a joke just in case its taken seriously

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Schrodinger
Should have fired them all and hired new people. Ungrateful minimum wage earners.

Edit: that was a joke just in case its taken seriously

Actually, I'm sure that is one of the "Options" the Company is thinking about, just watch.

 

[glenn1]

"This concerns us because we believe the only way to ensure associates can express their views without coercion or intimidation is by allowing a secret-ballot vote to take place," he said.

While I'm not a big Walmart fan I find this a hard POV to disagree with. Although it might be legal in Canada, I've never been a big fan of the "card check" method for certifying unions. Walmart management are pretty asshole-ish on the unions issue but if I were an employee I certainly wouldn't want some 320 lb. union goons cornering me in a hallway and "asking" me to sign a card to unionize "if I knew what was good for me." Which is pretty much SOP for this type of certification.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
1-19-2005 Second Canadian Wal-Mart Store Gets Union

TORONTO - A second Wal-Mart store in Quebec received union certification after a majority of the store's employees signed cards indicating the Canadian arm of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union was their official agent for collective bargaining, the union said Wednesday.

Wal-Mart Canada spokesman Andrew Pelletier said the company is reviewing all its options, including a legal challenge to the decision by the Quebec Labour Relations Commission

Pelletier said that while Wal-Mart respects the laws and legal process in Quebec, he called the decision to automatically certify the store "undemocratic."

"This concerns us because we believe the only way to ensure associates can express their views without coercion or intimidation is by allowing a secret-ballot vote to take place," he said.

He noted that employees at two stores in Saskatchewan have hired a lawyer and brought formal charges against the UFCW, alleging they were coerced into signing union cards.
======================================================

Would sure like to know if the "coersion" is real or generated by Wally World PR.

I don't know how much more coersive you can get than work or starve. When dealing with a destitute workforce, owners (wlamart in this case) tend to get it all by thier control of capital and jobs. And thier control enables them to slash benefits, pay subsistance wages and eventually you have a work force fighting for staving wages because there's more workers than jobs (according to milton freeman). Race to bottom. Personally I consider this the ultimate form of coersion.

We no longer live in a nomatic time where you could choose your little plot of land, build a log cabin, plant seeds, watch them grow. We need jobs to eat and live. If these jobs don't pay enough for the basics there is no "original distribution" of your labors and you're under private tyranny.

In any economy where one side of the equation reaps all of the surplus (walmart), and the other side is left with barely enough to get by (workers), the trajectory is toward a world where almost all of a society's productive assets are controlled by a vary small number of people. What you get is fabulous wealth on the one hand, and destitution and misery on the other. Such a lobsided economy is tyrannical and coersive since the worker has no choice. Work for subsistence or die.

That said you're paid what you're worth. Vote for more, get more. Take what's given, get less.

 

[Crimson]

So Dave, why do you continue to shop at Walmart if you hate it so much?

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Crimson
So Dave, why do you continue to shop at Walmart if you hate it so much?

They killed the competition, there is no other game in town.

For example there was one Supermarket left in Metairie and there was talk of another Supermarket wanting to build so Wally World bought the lot caddy corner to the other Super Walmart so now there is two Super Walmarts facing each other on the same intersection just to make sure they have no competition.

 

[Crimson]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: Crimson
So Dave, why do you continue to shop at Walmart if you hate it so much?

They killed the competition, there is no other game in town.

For example there was one Supermarket left in Metairie and there was talk of another Supermarket wanting to build so Wally World bought the lot caddy corner to the other Super Walmart so now there is two Super Walmarts facing each other on the same intersection just to make sure they have no competition.

Why wouldn't you have bought your sister a laptop online then? Certainly you have a post office and/or Fedex/UPS where you live?

 

[Engineer]

From my own personal experience, Unions suck.

2nd...

John McCain was on the Tonight Show and the intern asked him who was the designer of the sweater he was wearing. McCain shrugged and said "Walmart" and then pointed to the tag and said "Made in China"! :Q

 

[Train]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: CrimsonUnions are the way to go for the lazy and worthless workers.

There you go Working Class Americans, what the NeoCons really think of you.
At least are being Honest about it now, interesting twist as they get more and more desperate with T-minus 90 days till losing their Fearless Liar.

only about 11% of Americans currently belong to Unions. Theres quite a bit of "Working class americans" that do just fine without them.

In 2003, 12.9 percent of wage and salary workers were union members,
down from 13.3 percent in 2002, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today. The number of persons belonging to a
union fell by 369,000 over the year to 15.8 million in 2003. The union
membership rate has steadily declined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983,
the first year for which comparable union data are available

Union companies just cant compete, and are steadily killing themselves off.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: Train

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: CrimsonUnions are the way to go for the lazy and worthless workers.

There you go Working Class Americans, what the NeoCons really think of you.
At least are being Honest about it now, interesting twist as they get more and more desperate with T-minus 90 days till losing their Fearless Liar.

only about 11% of Americans currently belong to Unions. Theres quite a bit of "Working class americans" that do just fine without them.

In 2003, 12.9 percent of wage and salary workers were union members,
down from 13.3 percent in 2002, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of
Labor Statistics reported today. The number of persons belonging to a
union fell by 369,000 over the year to 15.8 million in 2003. The union
membership rate has steadily declined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983,
the first year for which comparable union data are available

Union companies just cant compete, and are steadily killing themselves off.

It really depends on the industry, the company, and the employees themselves. I've worked at four different employers with unions, both inside the union, and outside of it (mostly summer jobs), and there are big differences from local to local. I find the best unions are the ones that don't spend their time trying to coerce money out of the employer, but rather work to ensure a good relationship between employees and employers, focusing on safety, fair treatment when and if layoffs occur, and that sort of thing. (The same union also had no agreements in place about promotion based on seniority, allowing these to be entirely merit-based, as they should be).

The great need for Unions was to slay the Industrial Revolution era exploitation of workers that threatened to create a new class of slaves in the western world. I firmly believe that without collective action by workers, this would not have been accomplished. Whether formal unions are needed today is another story - I think the potential for collective action is important for workers to ensure they are not abused, but as long as employee-management relationships are good, there may be no benefit to maintaining a union, with its associated administrative costs.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: 3chordcharlie

The great need for Unions was to slay the Industrial Revolution era exploitation of workers that threatened to create a new class of slaves in the western world.

I firmly believe that without collective action by workers, this would not have been accomplished. Whether formal unions are needed today is another story - I think the potential for collective action is important for workers to ensure they are not abused, but as long as employee-management relationships are good, there may be no benefit to maintaining a union, with its associated administrative costs.

That's exactly what we have now, "legalized slavery" by the Corporations.

Of course the Republicans will argue people don't have to work there but Walmart is the perfect example of when all other jobs have been eliminated the people have no choice.

Hours worked going up with wages going down with no access to health benefits or very costly (further driving down wages) equals "Legalized Salvery".

 

[dmcowen674]

Saw something today that another Canada store voted to Unionize so Walmart has said they will close that store as well.

Looks like canada will not have any Wally World's

Good for you Canucks :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Stunt]

Unions are higly over rated. I think they are important if the company is oppressive. But in this day in age, this is a rare occurance and tends to add fat to society as a whole.

I fully support the union if their rights were being comprimised...otherwise i have no idea why they are putting themselves out of a job

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Stunt
Unions are higly over rated. I think they are important if the company is oppressive. But in this day in age, this is a rare occurance and tends to add fat to society as a whole.

I fully support the union if their rights were being comprimised...otherwise i have no idea why they are putting themselves out of a job

Have you worked at Wally World or know someone that has???

Every person that has worked there that I know has told me Wally World is extremely "oppressive".

I nearly got job there that was $8hr stocking the shelves at nights, weekends and Holidays only. They do that to not be in the aisles while people shopping. There would still be some because the store is open 24/7.

 

[Stunt]

i do know people who work there...but i haven't asked them their working conditions...i just assumed they were good as they have worked there for a long time and continue to work there. These are 45 yr olds and 20 some yr olds.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: Stunt
i do know people who work there...but i haven't asked them their working conditions...i just assumed they were good as they have worked there for a long time and continue to work there. These are 45 yr olds and 20 some yr olds.

Assuming, not a good thing to do.

Can it be assumed then as well that these people you know are either:

a) Unskilled and Uneducated and this is only job they qualify for

or

b) Economy stinks and this is only job they can find

 

[SuperTool]

Looks like the Canadians have found Walmart's Achilles heel.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: SuperTool
Looks like the Canadians have found Walmart's Achilles heel.

You mean the beneath of their heel? (unions that is)

CsG

 

[Deptacon]

Originally posted by: Zebo
Union is the only way to fly if you work for someone else.... Alone, workers don't have sh1t unless they have exceptional or irreplacable skills...or work the government of course, which takes a serious felony conviction to get fired. Or three.

or if they are legit hard workers, who advance themselves in the workplace by working hard and being a team player....
i learned a lot about unions from my father..he work for years in the nuclear industry, he was asked to join the union time after time, refused said he didn't wanna be assocaited with those that don't do crap but stand behind thier union shield all day.... now he is third in charge of the plant outside NYC, making 5 times as much as them, and in charge of all of them....

and he says they still don't do shit

 

[razor2025]

Originally posted by: Deptacon

Originally posted by: Zebo
Union is the only way to fly if you work for someone else.... Alone, workers don't have sh1t unless they have exceptional or irreplacable skills...or work the government of course, which takes a serious felony conviction to get fired. Or three.

or if they are legit hard workers, who advance themselves in the workplace by working hard and being a team player....
i learned a lot about unions from my father..he work for years in the nuclear industry, he was asked to join the union time after time, refused said he didn't wanna be assocaited with those that don't do crap but stand behind thier union shield all day.... now he is third in charge of the plant outside NYC, making 5 times as much as them, and in charge of all of them....

and he says they still don't do shit

Legit hard workers still doesn't get ahead.... They're always people who will be working their ass off, and never get ahead. Why? Because they don't have a single leverage to his/her employers (unless that person has some unique talent/skill). Union is a real viable alternative, because it gives the workers collective bargaining and power. The boss can easily give pink slip to couple of workers whenever he damn please, but try doing that when your worker have collective bargaining. And of course, the concept of Union can be abused too.... but if both Union and the employer have common sense and logical reasoning, they can have a mutual coexistance benefitting both parties.

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: SuperTool
Looks like the Canadians have found Walmart's Achilles heel.

You mean the beneath of their heel? (unions that is)

CsG

Looks like the unions were able to shut down one Walmart, and will shut down another.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: SuperTool

Originally posted by: CADsortaGUY

Originally posted by: SuperTool
Looks like the Canadians have found Walmart's Achilles heel.

You mean the beneath of their heel? (unions that is)

CsG

Looks like the unions were able to shut down one Walmart, and will shut down another.

Or more in line with reality: WalMart was able to keep out Unions and will be as strong as ever.

CsG