What Walmart Could Learn from Henry Ford

[Crewleader]

Saturday, November 16, 2013

by Robert Reich

Walmart just reported shrinking sales for a third straight quarter. What’s going on? Explained William S. Simon, the CEO of Walmart, referring to the company’s customers, “their income is going down while food costs are not. Gas and energy prices, while they’re abating, I think they’re still eating up a big piece of the customer’s budget.”

Walmart’s CEO gets it. Most of Walmart’s customers are still in the Great Recession, grappling with stagnant or declining pay. So, naturally, Walmart’s sales are dropping.

But what Walmart’s CEO doesn’t get is that a large portion of Walmart’s customers are lower-wage workers who are working at places like … Walmart. And Walmart, not incidentally, refuses to raise its median wage (including its army of part-timers) of $8.80 an hour.

http://robertreich.org/post/67183027910

[msongs]

1. poor henry had to make his cars in the USA. he missed the china boat lol nt

[Mika]

2. They did learn from Ford. Bust the unions.

Battle of River Rouge: Reuther's Struggle
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1973/7/6/battle-of-river-rouge-reuthers-struggle/

Henry Ford, the man who is known in the history books for introducing the assembly line and decent factory wages--on the theory that well-paid workers could buy a mass-produced product--didn't much like the idea of outsiders telling him how to run his company. Nor did he like the idea of his own workers organizing into a union.

So like many anti-union employers in earlier and later years, Ford hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency, known for its ability to destroy unions. The Pinkertons weren't afraid to use fists, guns or clubs to break the bodies and spirits of union organizers and striking workers. You paid your money, and they broke the union. Ford did, and Pinkerton didn't.

[Crewleader]

3. Thanks Mika

My Dad sold Fords when I was young and I remember how he tried to organize a union, for better benefits and was fired right after the last vote was cast and didn't pass.

So Ford Corporation follows that pattern for sure. He later was hired and sold Chevy's' and made more money with better benefits and all his customer base followed him because of his good reputation of taking care of his customers. And I sure was proud of my Dad.

[Crewleader]

4. Walmart Heirs/Walmart Employees

Walmart Welfare Queens

[Crewleader]

5. Walmart Woes