Walmart on strike

[dupont2005]

There were protests at a thousand locations according to something I read earlier. Not lockout strikes, but protests still. As far as why a union would agree to a drug test is because the union heads are not employees of the factory. The factory workers are. They are called negotiations, sometimes compromises are made. It seems like a reasonable one. If I made five dollars an hour more than a Walmart employee it would be a huge pay cut for me. I read recently that 80% of Walmart employees are on public assistance. This is the nations largest employer we're talking about. Those among the workers on food stamps include managers. I imagine those who are not on assistance are living at home since not a small number of Walmart employees are kids and young adults. That's just wrong.

[JCAll]

Well, I have to take back my previous objection. WalMArt finally put their Black Friday Sales on their site...then I spent like $90.
*sigh*
I'm not doing a very good job of fighting the evil empire.

[the4thpip]

I read recently that 80% of Walmart employees are on public assistance.

Which basically means that the taxpayer funds Walmarts successful attempts to drive stores out of business that pay a living wage.

Just think about that for a moment.

[dupersuper]

Well, I have to take back my previous objection. WalMArt finally put their Black Friday Sales on their site...then I spent like $90.
*sigh*
I'm not doing a very good job of fighting the evil empire.

Every one knows you have to buy some power converters first...

[Vibranium]

Which basically means that the taxpayer funds Walmarts successful attempts to drive stores out of business that pay a living wage.

Just think about that for a moment.

Yes...and all of you that spend your money there are contributing to this

way to be a decent human

[Paradox]

dupont2005 sees oddly:

As far as why a union would agree to a drug test is because the union heads are not employees of the factory.

That's not really the reason. The reason is because insurance companies require it (or, at least, lower your rates if you do...or raise them if you don't, depending on perspective).

[Vibranium]

That's not really the reason. The reason is because insurance companies require it (or, at least, lower your rates if you do...or raise them if you don't, depending on perspective).

my job requires it....only because we have service techs and drivers that have to, so the thinking is if they have to, everyone has to...at least once a year

[MT2]

Pay scales seem to have alot to do with your area and whatever the set rate of cost of living is. I live in a small town in Indiana one of the poorest in the state. Finding a good job is a chore, and sadly wal mart is one of the better places to work. Drugs and crime controll this area, its sad but its the truth. Id love to move but Im grounded due to my oldest son. I dont have full custody and I already live almost a hour away. Moving to the same town as him doesnt even put a dent in the situation. So we adapt and survive, I keep a loaded gun hidden in the bedroom and we have a dog that scares everyone. Even though he is just a big baby and the people he's "attacked" he just licked once he wrestled them down. Only time he's truelly went offensive is when he felt the boys was in danger.

You might think this has nothing to do with the topic at hand. But I beleive the low wages across the board leads to this. It doesnt matter if you flip burgers, stock shelves or pull long hours at a dead end job. Hardly no one around here lives at a standard where some sort of assistance isnt needed and I beleive thats lead to people being depressed which leads to bad things.

On a completely unrelated topic but just to give a rough idea of the town I live in. 3 years ago a guy I use to work with went missing on thanksgiving day. Just this past Monday was it the case solved. A guy had stabbed him in the back and hid the body in a crawl space in his bathroom. Details on how the information finally came about hasnt been released. But the real kicker, unrelated really, but we had cooked out and I went to the neibhors to see if they wanted the left overs. One of the guys over there was the guy who's been convicted of the crime. Id of never thought this guy would be the killer only knew him in passing but he was very polite and respectful.

[dupont2005]

my job requires it....only because we have service techs and drivers that have to, so the thinking is if they have to, everyone has to...at least once a year

My job has them but they are done by the Department Of Transportation and not my company. They just show up and grab a few guys and test them on occasion. And like once a year they test everybody

[Vibranium]

You might think this has nothing to do with the topic at hand. But I beleive the low wages across the board leads to this. It doesnt matter if you flip burgers, stock shelves or pull long hours at a dead end job. Hardly no one around here lives at a standard where some sort of assistance isnt needed and I beleive thats lead to people being depressed which leads to bad things.

when the economy s**t the bed in 2008, wages started sliding because companies knew people were desperate for work...my roommate (he's a paralegal) was underemployed until recently, working for $12 an hour and no benefits because he had been unemployed for almost two years and companies still exploit that with their current employees by not doing raises or cutting benefits....because they know people are desperate to keep their jobs

[dupont2005]

All the while corporate profits are through the roof.

[o1pickleboy]

That's not really the reason. The reason is because insurance companies require it (or, at least, lower your rates if you do...or raise them if you don't, depending on perspective).

That and its hard to get support on a policy that protects drug users. The company knows most judges won't rule against pro drug testing language, the general public won't support it which most of your strike help comes from and finally non drug using members won't support it because it doesn't affect them.

The best a union can hope for is rehab assistance language and to limit drug testing to probable cause.

[Vibranium]

All the while corporate profits are through the roof.

I work for the largest heating oil dealer in the northeast...we service from Mass down to northern Virginia

they rarely hire new people - mandate overtime almost constantly or get s****y with you if you don't want to work late...since the storm Ive had one day off and still got attitude from higher ups about not wanting to work a half day on that day

and Ive been here two years and have yet to see any increase in pay

yet management had a luncheon here in our office paid for by the company

[o1pickleboy]

I work for the largest heating oil dealer in the northeast...we service from Mass down to northern Virginia

they rarely hire new people - mandate overtime almost constantly or get s****y with you if you don't want to work late...since the storm Ive had one day off and still got attitude from higher ups about not wanting to work a half day on that day

and Ive been here two years and have yet to see any increase in pay

yet management had a luncheon here in our office paid for by the company

That is too common, the cost cutting seems to always happen below the management level. Even in the auto industry they still pay for meals for executives and managers on "special company business" which normally just consists of doing there job. Special training meeting the companies buying lunch, doing your job off location companies buying lunch and still paying you per diems.