Walmart strike in 6 cities [UPDATE]...NOW IN 12 CITIES

[Luminous Animal]

Last edited Tue Oct 9, 2012, 10:53 PM - Edit history (1)

UPDATED LINK:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/walmart-strike-dallas-arkansas-los-angeles-workers_n_1951867.html

Walmart workers walked off the job in Dallas, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, Miami, the Washington, D.C., area, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Chicago and Orlando, said Dan Schlademan, director of the United Food and Commercial Workers' Making Change At Walmart campaign. Workers also went on strike in parts of Kentucky, Missouri and Minnesota, he said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/walmart-strike-dallas-arkansas-los-angeles-workers_n_1951867.html?1349806956

The first-ever strikes by Walmart retail workers have spread to Dallas, Seattle, Miami, Washington D.C., Sacramento and San Francisco.

Walmart workers are striking in at least six cities, according to a release sent out by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union on Tuesday morning. Until last Friday, when about 60 Walmart employees walked off the job for a day in Los Angeles, no Walmart retail workers had ever gone on strike.

The workers are protesting company attempts to "silence and retaliate against workers for speaking out for improvements on the job," according the press release.

Walmart workers, who are not unionized, have long complained of low pay and a lack of benefits. Walmart is the largest private employer in America with 1.4 million workers. The company calls its workers "associates."

Good for them.

[senseandsensibility]

1. I would say that I won't cross their picket line but

I never cross the threshold of Walmart anyway. Good luck to them!

[99Forever]

33. I'll second that.

Haven't spent a penny with those anti-union a**holes in 2 decades and won't until they change their 1%er business practices.

Costco IS Union and has MUCH better quality merchandise, prices, and customer service.

Fuck Walmart and fuck the Waltons.

[Hayabusa]

2. I certainly hope that this leads to good things

for the "associates". I have a bad feeling though, that this will just lead to more of the same with different workers.

[bakpakr]

3. As a former Wallyworld Associate

I can GUARANTEE that everyone of those that walked out or stuck are now unemployed. If not they soon will be, the management is great at finding ways to get rid of those they don't want or make waves. I lasted a total of 2 months before I had to get out of dodge. Thankfully I left of my own free will during my probationary period.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. All the more reason to applaud these workers.

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. +1

[upi402]

4. Go union!

We're only strong together. Unity.

[theKed]

18. We have nothing to lose but our chains.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. There's a Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/188616147941488/

[Luminous Animal]

8. Thanks!

[Julien Sorel]

7. Shape of things to come.

Although things are taking their time.

[DisabledAmerican]

9. A friend of mine just told me how you can help with the walmart strike

Call the operator of the store. Ask for different departments or talk to the operate. Ask them if their store is going to be open because you live close but want to make sure not to waste the gas due to news you heard about the strike. Inform them of the strike it works.

[Luminous Animal]

10. Very good idea. Very good.

[DisabledAmerican]

11. Apparently it worked for my friend who did this to her local walmart

The employee had heard nothing about the strike, but before she was finished with the call the operator or employee was asking for info about it. You know how break Room gossip goes.

[Flatulo]

15. Why not just tell the manager that you will not be shopping there out of support for

The strikers and their demands?

[DisabledAmerican]

20. Managers are Salary they get paid either way and half of them do not care

That's part of the issue with walmart.

[Glitterati]

25. This is not true

Walmart has always had one person departments, and name the employee working in that department, Department Manager.

NONE of Walmart's managers are salaried. They are ALL hourly employees. The only "salaried" employees are Store Managers and Assistant Store Managers and their salaries are VERY low, with monthly "bonuses" based on how the store does.

This is EXACTLY how Walmart keeps their employees so "loyal," to them. They take unskilled workers, give them a useless title and then work them like dogs. Stop in a Walmart isle any day, talk to the employee stocking the shelves. He/She will gladly tell you he/she is the Department Manager; in a Department of One.

[woo me with science]

12. Hooray for all of them!

So impressed that they are doing this.

[AAO]

13. Associates? I hate that crap. I suppose if we give back another $1/hr we can all be Vice Presidents!

[Fuddnik]

16. Associates.

It's Capitalese for "slaves".

[mick063]

14. It was inevitable

History repeating itself.

This isn't just about Walmart employees though. This retail giant is re known for playing hardball with their wholesale suppliers to lower costs. Where does the cost cutting come from? It comes out of the paychecks of those wholesale employees. Walmart has a huge impact on employees that are not directly employed by WalMart. Further, for other retailers to compete, the competitors must adopt Walmart standards for their own respective employees. You begin to get a picture of Walmart's "ripple" effect.


What we really need is pressure from all phases. From consumers, from politicians, from the media, and from workers.

If we collectively leave those Walmart workers on an island, they will lose hope.

If the economy is to improve, disposable income, across the board, must improve. The consumers with disposable income are the true job creators. Only through paychecks can we "decentralize" money. The concentration of wealth is a huge problem for our country. It is this concentration of wealth that is destroying our political system through Citizens United. It is this concentrated wealth that is writing State legislation through ALEC.

Workers getting paid less to fund a political machine designed to pay workers less. A political machine designed to allow for diminishing saftey standards. Designed to create corporate immunity from litigation. Designed to allow for the ravaging of our environment. Designed to write legislation to diminish collective bargaining.

A never ending downward spiral.

[tarheelsunc]

17. Walmart: Always low wages. Always.

[DisabledAmerican]

19. Actually at a time Walmart used to be a great company to work for

I have been working for it for only 3 years. I believe 3 to 5 years before I started at the company they used to believe in rewarding hard workers. Walmart used to give rewards to people who worked hard then they changed. When I was fighting for hours one of the Managers used the trick that she had to give everyone hours. The problem is they always gave the people who didn't want to be there hours and the ones who did none. 3 years I have been kept at part time with no hope of full time. If had been full time I would have been able to get short term disability to help with my injury instead I'm out in the cold with no job waiting 3 months for them to make a job.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. My friend's mom worked for Sam Walton

He not only treated his corporate employees well, he left them trusts in his will. My friend's mom built a beautiful lake house.

[tarheelsunc]

28. I suppose a lot of their problems are due to Sam Walton dying

I think he was a decent guy, but I don't think his children are any better than the average bottom-line big businessman. I have to admit to shopping there quite a bit and while I have seen a few loyal employees who are always there, it seems the rest of their workforce is like a revolving door, different people who are uninformed and not very helpful. Perhaps this is due to them not giving the ones who deserve hours their fair share, I guess they want employees they can fire at a moment's notice.

[Sgent]

24. Although

Walmart was never union friendly, they didn't always treat workers poorly. Many of the early employees did much better than average for people in their (small) towns -- with actual benefits, promotion opportunities, stock options, etc.

Later, especially since (but before as well) Sam Walton's death, the store has become very anti-worker.

I should note, that the chain was always anti-union, its just that in many of the operations where they operated Wal-Mart provided the best benefits and pay in the area for retail employees.

I wish these employees luck, and hope they succeed in forming a union! I don't shop their often, but will not cross a picket line.

[tarheelsunc]

29. That's what I think

I think the Walton children are a lot more profit-driven than Sam was. I think Sam had good ambitions for the company and I'm sure they were viewed a lot more positively under his control. Walmart always has low prices but I guess paying low wages and cheap overseas labor are the real reasons for this, not a true desire to provide low-cost goods. I seem to remember going as a kid and seeing a lot more items that were made in the USA. Now it seems to almost all be made in China.

[AAO]

27. You can say that again!

[reteachinwi]

21. Solidarity

Forever.

I hope this thread picks up more support.

[no_hypocrisy]

26. Welcome to DU reteachinwi and

Solidarity Forever!

[Fire Walk With Me]

30. Whohoo! Fuck Walmart and their Pinkerton Kops!

[Go Vols]

31. Just called the local walmart here

and asked if they were open because I had heard walmarts were striking everywhere."We ain't part of no union" was the answer I got.

I went on to tell her that no walmarts were union,people were striking due to bad working conditions,ect.She didn't sound interested and hung up.

[Fire Walk With Me]

32. Kick!

[Go Vols]

34. Walmart - High Cost of Low Prices (movie)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3836296181471292925

[jackbenimble]

35. Have to admit I shop there occasionally.

But the quality continues to go down so it gets less and less all the time. For instance I used to buy some t shirts there every spring but they have gone so far down hill I sought out a better quality option online and found a place called 'All American Clothing Co' that sells cloths and boots only made in the US. I bought my t shirts for next spring there and just got them today. I'm pretty impressed with the heavy weight cotton and workmanship. Scratch another thing off the list I wont buy from walmart anymore.

[Honeycombe8]

36. I can't imagine what a hardship that must be for them. I'm so PROUD of them. It's about time!

I won't cross their picket line.

I hope WM doesn't fire them all and hire new ones.