Wal-Mart Fights Criticism From Labor ("Wal Mart is good for America")

[RedEarth]

ROGERS, Ark. - Wal-Mart is "good for America" and the barrage of criticism against the company is an effort to protect the status quo in retailing, President and CEO Lee Scott said Tuesday in a sharp attack on organized labor and retail rivals.


Addressing about 50 journalists gathered at the company's media conference — it first ever media event — Scott defended its wages and health care plans, criticized by labor groups as inadequate, and said that the company is able to save customers big money as it drives costs out of its system.


"Innovation and competition tends to change the status quo," said Scott, speaking at a hotel in Rogers, a few miles from Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s Bentonville headquarters.


With slow sales and a stock price that has languished, company officials used the two-day event to offer their perspective on Wal-Mart's financial picture and said they will expand sales by making the company "an even better place to work," as it improves its efforts in such areas as diversity.


Wal-Mart officials also plan to improve the shopping experience by offering more fashionable apparel and trendier storage containers. It also vowed to be more offensive in its public relations tactics and to be more aggressive in price cuts.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=509&ncid=749&e=4&u=/ap/20050405/ap_on_bi_ge/wal_mart_conference

[achtung_circus]

1. Wal MArt is good for Wal Mart.

No more.

[primavera]

16. Actually, not even good for most of them

It's really only the Walton family who make up six of the twelve wealthiest individuals on the planet and reap the rewards of the slaves toiling under them.

[warrens]

2. They had very minor press events during their annual meetings

I was at three or four of them. They basically put two PR people on my tail, but did let me interview people and talk with execs. But they didn't make it easy.

This ain't gonna work. They've abused the press for so long, two days of ass-kissing ain't going to change things.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. That place is a monster, a giant globalized bastard

out to take over the world. "trendier storage containers" is this to house the employees or some such shit? The sooner that they fail the better off we all will be.

[politicaholic]

4. They left out their vow to use more child labor...

and to suck out the American spirit through the stifeling of small business.

Now THOSE are vows.

[whistle]

5. Wal-Mart is total bullshit!....

<snip from another blog>

Submitted by Mike Connery on Mon, 2004-08-09 12:18. in 2004 Election | Why We Fucking Care | Economy

A study done in California found that by underpaying their employees and refusing to give them health coverage, WalMart is shifting its own operating costs onto the backs of taxpayers to the tune of $83 million a year (and this is only in California – not the entire country). Because the company doesn’t pay its workers enough money to buy food, and doesn’t allow them to work long enough hours to qualify for health benefits, their employees must apply for food stamps and government housing to get by. WalMart, the company Dick Cheney calls “a model US company,‿ has this to say about the situation:

"Wal-Mart actually reduces the taxpayer burden for public assistance . . . because . . . without Wal-Mart, at least some workers would be on unemployment, while still others would be depending on pubic assistance for support."

Basically, WalMart is saying we should all be thankful that they underpay their workers and refuse to provide any healthcare because WalMart gives them Work. Without that Work, they’d be on the streets. (“Thanks WalMart! If you didn’t exploit me, I’d be a vagrant. Now, with your help, I’m just living in poverty and sick all the time!)

This makes no sense. First off, these people are already on public assistance. That is the point. Second, let’s not forget that their entire argument, aside from lacking any statistical proof, is total bullshit. WalMart succeeds by shutting down mom and pop businesses by driving down prices until mom and pop can’t compete. If there was no WalMart, the money behind WalMart and the jobs wouldn’t all just magically dissapear, they would just be located in a more diverse set of businesses that probably paid their employees better wages and offered some kind of healthcare plan.


<more posts>
<link> http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/36805

[Tempest]

6. Wal-Mart a drain on states and taxpayers

A snapshot of Georgia's program for uninsured children shows that it's packed with kids of Wal-Mart employees.

A state survey found 10,261 of the 166,000 children covered by Georgia's PeachCare for Kids health insurance in September 2002 had a parent working for Wal-Mart Stores.

That's about 14 times the number for next highest employer: Publix, with 734.

Wal-Mart is the state's largest private employer. But when the top four companies on the list are measured by number of PeachCare children per the number of employees in Georgia, Wal-Mart still dominates.

http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/0204/27walmart.html

--------------
Wal-Mart Welfare
How taxpayers subsidize the world's largest retailer.

Dollars and Sense magazine, January/February 2005

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Corporate_Welfare/WalMart_Welfare.html

----------
California Pays Millions For Health Care Of Underpaid Wal-Mart Workers

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s employee wages and benefits policies cost California taxpayers $86 million annually to provide health care and other public assistance to the retailer's underpaid workers, according to a new study.

http://prorev.com/2004/08/california-pays-millions-for-health.htm

[China_cat]

7. MORE offensive in its public relations tactics?

Isn't it bad enough already?

[arikara]

14. Lets hope they don't mean it

I don't want to be any more offended by them than I am now. They still don't get it and they are determined to keep up their cut throat practices of profit on the backs of their starving workers.

[ClintonTyree]

8. Wal-Mart is toxic to America

Why do you think many, many American Companies were driven out of business because they couldn't compete with Asian sweat shops? Wal-Mart's "always low prices, always" bullshit put millions of people out of work in this country. Wal-Mart dictates what it will pay for goods, and if you can't match or beat that price, good old Wal-Mart will find a company overseas that can.
Good for America..... :puke:
Wal-Mart represents everything that sucks about America. It's the most anti-American company on earth. I'm NEVER going to buy that "good for America" bullshit. NEVER! :grr:

[UCLA Dem]

9. Just awful. But what else can you expect from scum?

[TommyO]

10. Hrmm...

Does the fact that they're addressing these issues mean that they're finally starting to feel the heat from their abhorent labor practices?

Couldn't happen to a nicer company

:evilgrin:

[Canuckistanian]

11. Hmm, "America" must be the name of some small town in Taiwan

Or a prison area in the PRC.

[Arkana]

12. Of course Wal-Mart is good for America

It's good for America like dry rot, syphilis, chlamydia, and radiation poisoning are good for America!

[htuttle]

13. "Toxic Sludge is Good for You!"

You all should read that book if you haven't already.

http://www.prwatch.org/books/tsigfy.html

[indepat]

15. Walmart is good for the major shareholders and executive officers: little

else IMHO.

[Melynn]

18. Actually, Wal-Mart isn't good for the shareholders

The stock has flat-lined the last five years and now is starting to drift downward.

[indepat]

20. So true, but the holdings of the Walton children still have a market

value in the godzillions of dollars and the WMT holdings of most of the very senior executive team would likely be hugomgous.

[Melynn]

17. The Bentonville Bully is feeling the heat.

Wal-Mart would never have put on a dog and pony show like this in the past because they are arrogant.

Wal-Mart is still arrogant but they are feeling heat at the cash register so the big media show. I don't think that they are going to convince anyone of anything. It will be interesting to read some of the articles that come of out of this event.

[Robeson]

19. Sorry Mr. Scott, but you're full of shit....

...Monopolies do not encourage, in your words, "Innovation and competition". In fact, they are the opposite of true free enterprise. You are nothing but a corporatist, which is a sick disease that has unjustifiably been equated with free enterprise. It is not.

[Javaman]

21. After reading this article, I'm reminded of a book I'm currently reading

It's called "Trapped", about the 1909 Cherry, Illinois mine disaster.

China-mart reminds me of that company store attitude of a century ago. "We will make it an even better place to work!" aka only half of our employees will have to go on food stamps and Medicare.

If there ever was a time that was ripe for unions to come in and do what they are supposed to do, China-mart is the perfect target.

China-mart, the modern day coal mine.

Welcome to the new and improved company store.