Thursday, April 14, 2005

Wal-Mart doesn't like unions

A Wal-Mart in Quebec is closing after workers voted to unionize. Sounds like everyone lost. Wal-Mart closed a store. Workers lost jobs. Wal-Mart gets to maintain its zero-union track record. Maybe this will inspire other Wal-Mart employees to attempt to unionize (and maybe even succeed), leading to a more friendly (if slightly more expensive) Wal-Mart.

Via somedotorg.org.

6 comments:

Travis said...

[Imported comment* originally authored by Mike McD.] What would be the incentive for other Wal-Mart workers to unionize? In a lot of rural areas Wal-Mart may be the largest source of jobs. To try and unionize would risk the closing of the local Wal-Mart and the loss of all those jobs. It would crush the local economy.

Travis said...

[Imported comment* originally authored by aaron.] I was going to say the exact same thing as Mike. Crappy job that's not unionized is hella better than no job at all.

Travis said...

[Imported comment* originally authored by Travis.] If enough stores did it in a short enough period of time such that Wal-Mart couldn't close all of those stores, maybe it could happen. The labor movement has made it to where it is today, so I wouldn't say that it's impossible.

Travis said...

[Imported comment* originally authored by b.] If enough stores did it? Wal-mart would simply close up shop... Don't you think the Waltons are weathly enough as it is? Some other Home Depot/Meijer/Target/CostCo will move in and pick up the slack.

Travis said...

[Imported comment* originally authored by jason.] i don't even know where to start with this. living wage vs. available wage, health care, free market, corporate welfare, etc. there are always crappy jobs out there, the problem is that they don't allow people to stay out of poverty. and bud, you should look at the huge valley that currently separates the way that CostCo is handling it's employees vs. Walmart. night and day.

Travis said...

[Imported comment* originally authored by Travis.] "Don't you think the Waltons are weathly enough as it is?"
Yes, I do.
But it's the wrong question. You should ask, "Do you think that the Waltons think that _they_ are wealthy enough as it is?"
No, I bet they think they need more, more more.