Why does the UFCW want to see Wal-Mart Unionized and why has their efforts failed?
609173
Bottom line MONEY.  The UFCW will tell you time and time again it's for the benefit of the Walmart employees, but that's a blatant lie.  It's for the benefit of the UFCW management.\n\nIf WalMart Employees wanted a union, they could form a powerful union on their own.  The major problem with this issue, if you increase costs to Walmart, you increase prices of products, you reduce your market share, and then the jobs start going away.  That's probably the reality the Walmart Employees understand.
1152705
==============================================\n\nAlthough I spent many years within a Union, I once thought that\nthe time had come for things to change.  I stupidly thought that\nwe could do without Unions.  BUT .. I was wrong.  Here's why .....\n\nCase in point .. just recently I was advised that one of the Big 3\nhad stressed to all it's part suppliers that it now preferred to have\nall parts come from "Non-Union" plants.  It's an outright attempt\nto force parts plants to shift their work to other places if currently\nbeing made in a Union represented plant.  And the sad thing ... \nIT'S WORKING !!  \n\nPeople without knowledge have belly-ached and complained that\ncars were so expensive due to the UNION.  When, in reality, the\ncost of a vehicle has very very little percentage attributed to the\nwages paid to workers.  The discounts are a lot more than the\nwage amount attributed to that vehicle.  But, as long as people\nhave no clue ... the car companies can pass the buck as to the\n'real' reason a vehicle is priced like it is.\n\nThere is a NEW movement within Manufacturing today.  I know,\nI'm still connected.  Now is the time for a lot closer look at the\nUnion and what it has to offer.\n\nDisclaimer: The Local is only as good as the leadership that\nis elected to run it. \n\nSo, now, I've changed my mind about the need for Unions.  I think\nthey are just as much needed today .... if not more so ... than for\nmore than wages.  \n\n==============================================
711643
Oh please.  Of course GM (or Ford/Chrysler/Lear/Dura/Dana/Tower/etc, etc) closing plants have a lot to do with the unions.\n\nUnion workers don't like to hear this, but NO company can afford to pay workers for the REST OF THEIR LIVES and stay in business.  Our government unions will find this out soon enough.  The wages & benefits of the UAW workers have been so out of whack with reality and the actual value of their skills, that the only way any of these companies can ever hope to stay in business is to trim their staffs.\n\nThe same EXACT thing was happening in the early 80's, the Big 3 had the chance then to fix this and they chose to do the easy thing and allow the unions to demand ever increasing wages and benefits, even as costs went through the roof, yet the prices of the vehicles could not keep up.\n\nIn the 90's the decision was made to screw over their American venders/suppliers in order to save money, yet they continued to give more & more to the unions to keep them from striking.  They managed to run nearly EVERY other American manufacturing job out of the country, and now the chicken is finally coming home to roost.\n\nFunny, if you run your suppliers out of business, then the people who used to have good jobs (and trust me, they were not near as good as the Big 3's workers had) can no longer AFFORD to buy your cars.  Your production slows, you lay off/fire workers and the big cycle of the demise of the American manufacturer is on.\n\nAll I can say to the affected UAW workers, is I AM sorry for your plight, but you should have used your free education opportunity for just this reason. \n\nOh yeah, & welcome to the real world.
878750
Unfortunately, with Bush in office and the evil Elaine chow as labor sec. The unions are dying a slow death. Combine this with the ease of going to china, for low cost labor the American worker is getting screwed over. Most employee that are non union(like myself) do not care, but without unions we would be working 80hrs a week. \n\nThe unions haven't been protecting the jobs here in the U.S., and now with the dems talking of raising minimum wage we are begining to see the war on the middle class unfold. Then we may start to have only 2 classes in the country the rich and the poor. \nThat is way we as americians should look to buy americian products when ever possible.
598884
I think they're a necessary evil. NECESSARY, because many employers, if unchecked, would exploit their employees. This is what led to the formation of unions in the first place. Greedy individuals who will make a profit at any cost and not recognize the labor force. \n\nAn EVIL because they can interfere with the freedom of employer to do as they will with their business. And, after all, unions are also run by men who themselves can be greedy and make unreasonable demands on employers.\n\nIn an ideal world, employers would pay fair wages to their employees and there would be no need for union. An honest day's pay for an honest day's work.
1046607
Walmart has been involved in so many scandals and pay their employees squat. They were recently to have been found hiring illegals.\n\nMost of Thier stuff is crap and is made in China. Walmart wanted the Chinese to make a pay cut and you know what they make!!\n\nPlus it is what is called a dollar drought. They come in, hire people at minimum wage, provide few jobs, have a terrible impact on local communities. None of their money stays in your town, it all goes somewhere else and you can't use it. You town suffers, property taxes go up and your Main Street looks like a ghost down!\n\nIn a word. They suck!
975342
Very mixed feelings here...certainly there are some socio-economic considerations involving any Walmart store, but do we really want to empower government to the point that it can decide where people should conveniently shop in their community?\n\nOverall I guess I would likely oppose any ban on free enterprise and so I would oppose the San Diego city council decision...\n\nJust a thought...
865431
Well, for one thing, Wal-Mart has one of the worst ratings in terms of how they treat their employees.  I know people who boycott them and have encouraged me to do likewise.\nThey are not like Costco at all.\nWhy would Californians want to encourage a store to treat its peopel poorly?\nWhy would they want to pay when the full-timers get cut back to part-time, lose their bennies, and go on Medicaid and use state-supported supplemental insurance plans (I'm assuming; I'm from NY)?\nWhy would they want the related stress that comes with the anger and worthless feelings of being in such an environment so many hours a week?\nWhy would they want them around at all?
789704
The fact that anything is paid out of pocket is too much. Unions abuse and steal the workers "union dues". This isn't the 1800's anymore, workers need to think for themselves, and hold personal responsibility.
306266
New unionization in USA is a thing of the past (and has been for a long time). Thank the rednecks who tend to shop at Wal Mart and the fascists who run the place. (They all voted unions into powerlessness) If you work at Wal-Mart, you don't understand the machinery that is crushing you. Also, think of their products and how their slave labor who make those products in asia are treated! Way worse than that. Do you remember how KMart managers were treated when Wal Mart was crushing Kmart? Inhuman, impossible jobs assigned to them. I would have quit and been treated better being homeless, even if I had kids, so do a job search for your hubby while he works. SERIOUSLY! You can facilitate his new career at some teenie tiny store and be much happier. Help him get a job, any job and be much happier. I had close friends get the life sucked out of them trying to stay on the sinking ship. WalMart is not sinking, but they will sink you!
808386
Unions may have been a good idea in the beginning, but at this point all they successfully do is keep incompetent people in a high paying job.  My husband works for a company with the union, and firing employees for anything that would have gotten them fired from any other job is near impossible.  The workers that don't deserve an increase in pay routinely are awarded for nothing, and receive a salary that is far above what they deserve.  Yet employees that truly deserve raises and bonuses are constricted by the rules, and don't get the recognition they deserve.  There is a reason that many businesses are opting not to have the union involved with their company, it doesn't make sense business-wise.
253903
Your question assumes that unions have a lot of power. How do you justify this assumption, especially in the current economic environment?  Unionized workers fear outsourcing, benefit cuts, lay-offs and shrinking membership roles. Where's the power?
642981
1. It shows the people in the union how powerful they can be when they work together.\n\n2. It is perceived as a direct threat to the companies management and profitability.\n\n3. Our government now in the USA is extremely Pro business and is against anything Big business is against.
945439
Contact the ILO or Labour Start.\n\nThey will help you organize.   Don't be scared -- workers have the right to form unions and bargain collectively for better conditions.\n\nGood luck and best wishes from your brothers and sisters of the Communications  Workers of America (CWA).
490984
From the consumers point of view; it is a good thing because you can find many different items under one roof at great prices. Saves time and gas...and we all need to save both of those these days.\n\nFrom the employees point of view; no, not a good thing.  Walmart has been in the news for violations regarding worker overtime pay and discrimination against women. They need to clean up that act, and fast, because some communities don't want them around with that record, no matter how great they may be for the consumer.
1048772
Actually, billions of dollars a year in profits.  Wal-Mart (WMT) posted $11.39 Billion in net income (revenue - expenditure).  And yes, there have been studies shown that if Wal-Mart brought it's wages back up to industry standard, they would still be a very profitable company.\n\nHowever, unions are complicated and serve to differentiate workers from the general population, not serve the best interests of everyone.  And, unions are not the right answer for low-skilled/low-wage earners.  For instance, the reason why autoworkers have a powerful union is because Ford or Chevy can't just hire anyone off the street to build a car or operate machinery.  Nor can Delta grab one if it's passengers out of first class and have them fly a 747.  The more skilled and irreplaceable a worker, the more power unions have.  Wal-Mart and McDonalds pay their workers hardly anything because they have developed a system to where just about anyone can be thrown into a Wal-Mart or McDonalds and have all the training they would need to be an effective employee in a day or so.  Furthermore, there's less and less demand for low-skilled workers in today's global economy.  Typical low-skilled jobs in manufacturing have headed overseas, and if you don't posses the skills in today's world to succeed, you're out of luck.  Still, too many unskilled service jobs in the US remain underpaid.  But is that fair to low-skilled American labor?\n\nUnfortunately, I don't think it is.  It was recently reported that the drop-out rate in Los Angeles area high schools was as high as 25%.  While it's important to provide education for our nation's youngsters and propel them into workforce, children coming from well established backgrounds have a much, much better chance at succeeding.  Conversely, kids that come from 'the other side of the tracks' have a much much lower chance at succeeding and do not proceed into adulthood with the skills they need to earn a respectable living.  And to clarify respectable, I mean above the poverty line.\n\nGetting back to your question, the primary fault for low wages at McDonalds and Wal-Mart are not those companies’ policies.  They make the best possible financial decisions given the circumstances in which their business operates.  And, if it was in Wal-Mart's best interests to pay workers more, they would.  Management at Wal-Mart is paid very handsomely.  In order to make a difference and pull our nation's poor out of poverty, the government needs to intervene by increasing the minimum wage and punish companies that employ illegal hiring practices.  As it stands, the President and Congress would rather fill the coffers of American corporations with excess profits than provide help to those that need it the most: the working poor.  Just recently, Congress struck down legislation that would raise the minimum wage providing no help to many Americans that are struggling to make ends meet.  \n\nHow can we justify the minimum wage at $5.15 an hour?\n\nLet's take for example a couple with no children -- the most financially stable and well off household classification -- working full time at minimum wage levels.  Husband and wife combined would earn roughly $1600/mo..  For the sake of this example I am omitting any payroll taxes or other paycheck deductions.  Our couple lives in a 1-bedroom apartment that rents with utilities for $600/mo..  That leaves the couple 1,000 to spend on food, clothing, medicine, and transportation - necessities in life.  2 people eat roughly 180 meals a month, and at $3.00 a meal it is $540.  A montly bus pass in Los Angeles, and most major cities, is about $50/mo. per person, or $100/mo. for both.  So far, our theoretical couple has spent $1,240 of their $1600 budget.  That leaves $360 for health care, entertainment, clothing, household goods (toilet paper, soap, towels, TV), and retirement savings (even minimum wage earners aren't exempt from s
61406
Unions have a noble goal.  It is to represent employees that have been subjected to bad treatment and negotiate a better working environment.  It has changed with time.  They now just negotiate for pay and benefits.  In the past, they were responsible to get safer working condition and normal working hours for its employees.  Some companies used to have their employees work long hours and paid their employees for the day and not the hours.  There were limited laws on working conditions and working hours.  There was no overtime pay.\n\nUnions have served to make it safer for employees around the work.  Unions can also go overboard.  One example is the health benefits that GM employees have, it became so burdensome on GM that they are losing money.  Some unions have made the companies that they work overburdened with expenses and not competitive.