Why target Wal-Mart?

[PACKY]

ON AUG. 10, the National Education Association, the country's largest teachers union, participated in a nationwide back-to-school boycott of Wal-Mart. The ''Send Wal-Mart Back to School" campaign urges parents and teachers to pledge not to shop for school supplies at the bargain retailer

Why would the NEA, an organization whose stated mission is to ''promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education," care about where parents buy pencils and backpacks?

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/08/16/why_target_wal_mart/

 

[Autumnleaf]

They are doing it because Wal-Mart refuses to unionize.

 

[bigat]

They are doing it because Wal-Mart refuses to unionize.

If they unionize - prices will go up. There are a lot of people in this country who dependon Wal-mart because of their prices. For some reason - people of this coutnry have to demonize anything that is a success.

 

[Vylo]

They are doing it because Wal-Mart refuses to unionize.

Pretty good guess.

If they unionize - prices will go up. There are a lot of people in this country who dependon Wal-mart because of their prices. For some reason - people of this coutnry have to demonize anything that is a success.

If companies would just treat their workers decently to begin with, there wouldn't be a need for unions. This only seems to happen in cases where the workers "have them by the ...well you know". My job is a prime example. If 1 or 2 of us threaten to quit, we aren't immediately replacable, and the company could lose tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars if they didn't make some effort to appease us. Not everyone has that luxury. Wal-mart could walk onto the street and hire random people in a few minutes. Their employees are considered to be highly disposable, and they treat them as such.

 

[crossrunner]

I won't participate in such a boycott. I'm a teacher. Was just at Walmart yesterday. Oh well.

 

[HumbleMan]

As was stated in another thread, boycotts only hurt the people on the low end of the totem pole, in this case, the very people that the NEA is trying to support.

 

[MichaelFJF]

Why target Wal Mart? Cute.

 

[Wildwood]

It's about the money. In addition to wanting to increase union membership and collect their dues, the article says the NEA is angry that the founders of Wal-Mart have supported private-school vouchers.

 

[Kristin364]

Wal-Mart has turned into Public Enemy #1 because of all the coverage of how they treat their employees and run their business. I don't shop their to begin with.

 

[nigits]

For some reason - people of this coutnry have to demonize anything that is a success.

That's a pretty poor assessment.

Why do I demonize china-mart?

Maybe it's due to the fact that they gained their popularity by stocking most of their store with labels that say "Made in the USA" only to turn around during a budget crunch then sell out completely to foreign made junk.

Or maybe it's because of the wake of destruction left behind a new wal-mart opening. Both in the American manufacturing sector and in the smaller mom and pop stores. I have seen entire towns completely destroyed by wal-mart. Sure it brings jobs to the area.....the same jobs that they destroyed when they first moved into town.

Or maybe it's because they will not unionize workers, or not allow them to work full time (thus avoiding any full time benefits such as health care), or not even coming close to providing a livable wage, or not paying overtime, etc...

There are plenty of very good reasons to "demonize" wal-mart. And it's not due to their "success" as you call it.

Shop there if you wish. Just keep in mind that you are contributing directly to the dismantling of America.

Support locally owned businesses. They are the true lifeblood of this country.

Is Wal-Mart good for America?

 

[simplicity]

I buy all my school supplies from the dollar store anyways. I'm not going ino Wal-mart until they unionize and give me more value for my money than the dollar store.

 

[SallyNow]

I think I'll try some reasons for why the NEA is not supporting Wal-Mart:

-They refuse to unionize, even threatening to close a store that did (in Quebec)
-They do not give out full-time benifits
-They buy products from overseas factories with little or no regard for the conditions
-They often uncut local economies and then jack up prices


Now why would the NEA dislike these reason?
-NEA is a union, one which is trying uphold a high quality of education for all students in America.
-Refusing to have full-time jobs hurts workers in America: they have to pay more for medical care (if they get it at all in some areas)
-The NEA wants every child to be educated and allowed to grow in a safe enviroment. Overseas factories with horrible abuse and safety records do not promote education or indeed local economies (factories owned by locals do, however)
-Teachers are not well paid, especially for the time that goes into getting their education and how hard they must work. They don't like seeing prices jacked up, because then they can't afford much.

 

[Inconel]

I'll have to make another trip to WalMart in the NEA's honor

 

[Relevance]

They also violate child labor laws. They've made employees come in during school hours, not allowed them to have breaks, etc.. Not to mention that on average, women are paid $5000 less than male employees in the same positions.


But what wal-mart counts on are the people who can't afford to go anywhere else. The dollar store would be a good alternative yes, but for groceries and other products not provided by such stores, a lot of people don't really have a choice. My mom would prefer not to shop there at all, but we're broke, so we can't afford much else. I stopped going in spending any of my own money there last year and don't intend to ever go back.

 

[MaryS]

It's about the money. In addition to wanting to increase union membership and collect their dues, the article says the NEA is angry that the founders of Wal-Mart have supported private-school vouchers.

If people are against private school vouchers, I wonder how the feel about the Democrats who joined in to pass school vouchers for the D.C. area.

Appropriations. HR 2673 (Roll Call 3)
The Senate adopted an omnibus spending bill with some fiscal restraint, and
providing for vouchers to cover tuition at private schools in the District of Columbia.
The bill was passed (65-28)
(the 21 Democrats who voted the conservative position to allow for vouchers:
Akaka (D-HI),Bingaman (D-NM),Breaux (D-LA),Cantwell (D-WA),Carper (D-DE),
Dodd (D-CT),Durbin (D-IL),Feinstein (D-CA),Harkin (D-IA),Hollings (D-SC),
Inouye (D-HI),Landrieu (D-LA),Lincoln (D-AR),Mikulski (D-MD),Miller (D-GA),
Murray (D-WA),Nelson (D-FL),Nelson (D-NE),Pryor (D-AR),Reid (D-NV),
Schumer (D-NY) voted with conservatives
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00003

 

[PACKY]

If people are against private school vouchers, I wonder how the feel about the Democrats who joined in to pass school vouchers for the D.C. area.

Appropriations. HR 2673 (Roll Call 3)
The Senate adopted an omnibus spending bill with some fiscal restraint, and
providing for vouchers to cover tuition at private schools in the District of Columbia.
The bill was passed (65-28)
(the 21 Democrats who voted the conservative position to allow for vouchers:
Akaka (D-HI),Bingaman (D-NM),Breaux (D-LA),Cantwell (D-WA),Carper (D-DE),
Dodd (D-CT),Durbin (D-IL),Feinstein (D-CA),Harkin (D-IA),Hollings (D-SC),
Inouye (D-HI),Landrieu (D-LA),Lincoln (D-AR),Mikulski (D-MD),Miller (D-GA),
Murray (D-WA),Nelson (D-FL),Nelson (D-NE),Pryor (D-AR),Reid (D-NV),
Schumer (D-NY) voted with conservatives
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00003

IA m all for school vouchers its OUR tax money...

 

[MichaelFJF]

I buy all my school supplies from the dollar store anyways. I'm not going ino Wal-mart until they unionize and give me more value for my money than the dollar store.

Ok my head hurts - lemme get this straight.....you shop the dollar stores for school supplies, and you want Wal Mart to unionize. You do know what happens when places unionize right? Please tell me you're not a teacher. If you are, pleeeeez tell me you don't teach economics.

 

[DieHappy]

Anybody else see the South Park where WalMart moves in? One of the kids dad's, the geologist, quits his job to go work at WalMart to get an even better discount. He says, "sure, I'll make less money, but with the low prices we'll come out ahead!"
One of the best episodes.
WalMart is successful precisely because they refuse to unionize. Ask the millions of ex-KMart workers how well the union worked for that store. If it wasn't for Sears stupidest business decision in history, they'd all be closed.

 

[nigits]

WalMart is successful precisely because they refuse to unionize.

While I'm sure that is part of the reason I would hardly go so far as to say that IS the reason.

Take a look at the link in my post #10. Watch the videos. Pay attention to the bidding wars and how american manufactures lost bids to China (or American companies with factories in China) over fractions of a cent.

China-Mart is successful because they are greedy and they have no concern for anyone but themselves and stockholders. That is the only factor.

 

[ACougar]

If you are so poor that the only way you can make ends meet is to shop at Walmart, then by all means shop at Walmart. However if you make a decent middle class living or better you should be ashamed to shop at Walmart. A store run by disposable part time employees with no benefits.. a store that doesn't pay it's workers a living wage, a store that specializes in selling items that were made in third world countries by workers who have no choice but to work under conditions that are brutal and inhuman.