Walmart Strike

pathtofreedom · Jun 4, 2013

thequietkid10 said:
I'm not sure what subsides you are talking about? Are you talking about the welfare net which covers everyone that works in retail or are you talking about tax rebates, which aren't technically subsides at all?

Tax rebates are subsidies. They often get direct money from local governments and eminent domain.
http://www.walmartsubsidywatch.org/

mad cow · Jun 4, 2013

Socialists don't hate Walmart,they hate success.Sam Walton opened a general store in Bentonville,Arkansas(for pity's sake)going up against such established concerns as F.W. Woolworth(owner of the tallest building in the world at one time),Sears(owner of the tallest building in the world at one time)from such backwater hamlets as NYC and Chicago.No wonder he beat them at their own game,he had all of the advantages. :rolleyes:

I bet if he was still owner of a mom and pop country store,socialists would love him.
But let him try to improve his station,like crabs in a bucket,socialists will grab a hold of him and try to drag him back down to their level.

Two college drop-outs in a garage in Palo Alto taking on IBM and NCR?A milkshake machine salesman from San Diego dreaming of a hamburger business spanning the globe?
Same deal.Stay small,young man,stay small.The new mantra of a socialist America.

UWDude · Jun 4, 2013

Another example of how unions are absolutely a part of the free market.

A bunch of small sprocket companies are selling their sprockets to Mr. Spacely for $1 each. They get together, and agree, they will not sell him any sprockets, unless he agrees to buy them for $2.

Mr. Spacely has a problem, he needs his company to keep running, but he doesn't want to pay double.

He can either curse the sky, run around, get red in the face, and huff and puff about how he wishes he could FORCE them (with price fixing laws, perhaps, yes, those are force, not free market!) to sell them to him for $1 a piece, or he can try to negotiate with them. With any luck, he may be able to get them for $1.50 each.

Now, how much are the sprockets worth? Any free market geniuses here know?

Answer... ...the price agreed upon, not what Mr. Spacely says it should be, and not what the sprocket companies say it should be. This is not a new concept. 1776, Adam Smith.

Now that we have covered elementary economics, change "sprocket companies" to "workers" and "sprockets" to "hourly labor".

Uh oh... ....now what? Your "unions are not free market economics" argument is revealed for the sham it is.

UWDude · Jun 4, 2013

How dare these Cambodians demand higher wages from Nike? Don't they know Nike relocated there so they could pay them fairly for their 60 hour work weeks?

They are demanding $14 more dollars a month? $14 MORE DOLLARS A MONTH!?!!? Do they expect the shareholders and executives in Oregon to starve to death!?? It's an outrage!

Ungrateful bitches. If they don't like working there, there are plenty of other Cambodian sweatshops hiring!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87QeWaUzggQ

silverhandorder · Jun 4, 2013

Seems like there are workers who oppose the union too. Why should union workers be allowed to keep those people from working?

UWDude · Jun 4, 2013

silverhandorder said:
Seems like there are workers who oppose the union too. Why should union workers be allowed to keep those people from working?

They shouldn't.

silverhandorder · Jun 4, 2013

So then should you not respect the choice of those that choose to work?

UWDude · Jun 4, 2013

silverhandorder said:
So then should you not respect the choice of those that choose to work?

Not once the union has contracted a closed shop. It takes a lot to get there, but once they get it. Too bad for the scabs... maybe they can play next time there is a renegotiation of the contract, but I doubt it.

But don't worry, there will be plenty of sweatshops in Cambodia paying $145 a month.

otherone · Jun 4, 2013

mad cow said:
Socialists don't hate Walmart,they hate success.

Speaking as an Individualist, I resent corporations such as Walmart who collude with government to filter my middle-class tax dollars through the underclass to line the pockets of the 1%. The poor are used in the massive money-laundering scheme with the blessing of the bleeding hearts. Stop taxing me, get government out of the economy, and let Walmart compete with the little guy on a level playing field.

Todd · Jun 4, 2013

angelatc said:
Some of believe in the laws of supply and demand? Yes, that is true.

But that's not the way it works. We don't have a free market. We have a government mandated market for certain types of food. Cheap carbs, corn based products and processed crap.

It shouldn't cost me $6 for the McDonald salad and $1 for the McDouble.

Not a Free market.

pathtofreedom said:
Even more bullshit walmart prices are low because their prices are subsidized by the government pure and simple. Their convenience is debatable and subjective.

Yep^ What he said.

silverhandorder · Jun 4, 2013

UWDude said:
Not once the union has contracted a closed shop. It takes a lot to get there, but once they get it. Too bad for the scabs... maybe they can play next time there is a renegotiation of the contract, but I doubt it.

But don't worry, there will be plenty of sweatshops in Cambodia paying $145 a month.

Well what do you imagine it means by closed shop? Contracts are not all the same. When a contract is broken you go to court. You don't take things into your own hands and damage the property and persons of other people. Especially innocent people such as scabs.

pcosmar · Jun 4, 2013

http://www.workers.org/2013/06/03/s...-supporters-converge-on-company-headquarters/

The only "News" I could find..

No one here is striking.

jllundqu · Jun 4, 2013

Are we really having the "Unions are actually good!" debate again on RPF?

Man... we have a long way to go.

Ender · Jun 4, 2013

jllundqu said:
Are we really having the "Unions are actually good!" debate again on RPF?

Man... we have a long way to go.

Yep.

For all the Walmart haters/union lovers-

When looking at the "subsidies" argument, every business in the US is subsidized, as well as 99.9 of all US citizens. If you collect SS, use medicare, drive on roads, etc you are subsidized. Every business in the US is subsidized.

Making arguments against Walmart, while loving all the other subsidized corps is ridiculous.

We are caught in mercantilism as were the colonists- until we actually get back to real free markets, welcome to The Matrix.

jllundqu · Jun 4, 2013

@Ender

On a side note. You excited about the movie coming out later this year? I don't have my hopes up, plus the freaking trailer gives away the ending.

angelatc · Jun 4, 2013

otherone said:
Speaking as an Individualist, I resent corporations ... who collude with government to filter my middle-class tax dollars through the underclass to line the pockets of the 1%. The poor are used in the massive money-laundering scheme with the blessing of the bleeding hearts. Stop taxing me, get government out of the economy, and let (them) compete with the little guy on a level playing field.

Sure, but there's no reason to single out WalMart. All big corporations get tax breaks and subsidies.

angelatc · Jun 4, 2013

Todd said:
But that's not the way it works. We don't have a free market. We have a government mandated market for certain types of food. Cheap carbs, corn based products and processed crap.

It shouldn't cost me $6 for the McDonald salad and $1 for the McDouble.

Not a Free market.

Yep^ What he said.

Not arguing about the subsidies, but the demand for the designer food you crave just isn't there. Less demand = higher price. And the efficiency isn't there either. Like it or not, a farmer who uses insecticides and Round Up on his feilds is going to have a much higher yeild than one who doesn't.

You want to eat food that is less in demand and costs more to produce, but pay less for it. Good luck.

EBounding · Jun 4, 2013

UWDude said:
Monopoly? How is that? Another company can open its doors and try to hire non-union workers, happens all the time. How is that a monopoly?

I was talking about a monopoly of labor within the organization.

So the NLRA doesn't force businesses to take union dues from non-union members and give it to the union? If 50%+1 of employees choose to create a Union, the other 49% aren't forced by the government to pay union dues? Is that right?

Zippyjuan · Jun 4, 2013

angelatc said:
Sure, but there's no reason to single out WalMart. All big corporations get tax breaks and subsidies.

What makes WalMart a target is the disparity between the owners of the company (who occupy spots in the ten richest people in America) while paying their workers the lowest wages and that they use their size to extort prices and breaks not just from local, state, and federal governments but also suppliers. A supplier cannot afford to NOT do what WalMart demands. They reportedly have personel in their offices which sign up employees for assistance like food stamps.

The workers have not shared in the success of the company.

BAllen · Jun 4, 2013

jllundqu said:
Are we really having the "Unions are actually good!" debate again on RPF?

Man... we have a long way to go.

RP supports freedom of workers to organize. Just not a closed shop.

Walmart Strike

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