Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/81698
Change Walmart What's wrong with Walmart? In 2005, the DSEA Representative Assembly voted to require DSEA to cease patronizing all Walmart stores, Sam's Club stores and Walmart subsidiaries. T he New Business Item added, "DSEA calls upon our mem- bers to also comply with this action." Why? As a protest against Walmart's anti-labor tactics.* In the end, their low prices come at a high cost to society – workers without health care, a living wage, or appro- priate working conditions, and yes, even some communities that are withering, instead of thriving. Walmart employs over a million Americans, yet not a single worker is repre- sented by a union Walmart has a long history of union busting. The retail giant makes no effort to hide their anti- union stance. Managers are instructed to call headquarters at the first sign of union organizing. The Labor Relations Team is then sent to the store, armed with anti- union videos and propaganda. The corporation has banned all distribu- tion of union flyers and any talk of organizing. There are even reports that employees have been fired for attempting to organize. * All of the facts in this story were double-checked for accuracy with multiple sources, including: www.HRW.org (Human Rights Watch) www.NYtimes.com www.CBSNews.com www.huffingtonpost.com ("Wal- Mart in LA") www.makingchangeatwalmart.org www.SFgate.com (The San Francisco Chronicle) www.aflcio.org Without a union to support them, Walmart workers are underpaid, overworked, and without benefits. Many non-management Walmart employees receive a wage that is below the poverty line. Walmart purposely limits the amount of hours employees can work so that the company can then avoid paying for health benefits. Or the amount of premium required of employees puts the health coverage out of reach. Or they work full-time hours as "part-time associates," and some- how don't qualify for benefits. Many employees turn to govern- ment programs, such as Medicaid, for their children. In some cases, the state program may even be more generous than the company's health benefits. Walmart shoppers are able to pay lower prices for their groceries because of the low wages, but eventually they pay the difference in their tax bill when states must provide Medicaid. Class-action lawsuits mount against Walmart. Thousands of employees have complained of being forced to work off-the-clock and never receiving overtime pay. Employees were denied rest and lunch breaks. The company phases out veteran work- ers in preference for new, cheaper labor. Many workers are afraid to speak up and report such maltreat- ment, because they realize they are expendable. Thanks to the union busting and struggling economy, many Walmart employees feel that they have no voice. Some argue that Walmart employ- ees should quit if they dislike the work environment. For many peo- ple, that is not a viable option. Walmart is the largest private employer in the country. During the recession, they were one of the very few corporations hiring. Jobs are scarce and highly coveted right now. Walmart may be the only place job seekers can find work. Loss of local community business An Iowa study shows that in the decade after Walmart arrived, the state lost 555 grocery stores, 298 hardware stores, 293 building sup- ply stores, 161 variety stores, 158 women's apparel stores, 153 shoe stores, 116 drugstores and 111 men's and boys' apparel stores. Against Unions! On May 6, 2005, Walmart shut down its Jonquiere, Quebec, store where workers had formed a union nine months earlier. Workers had been negotiating with Walmart for several months, attempting to reach a fair agreement on wages and benefits. Walmart pulled the plug when workers appealed to the Quebec Labor Ministry to start a process to establish a wage and ben- efit settlement. No store - no union! In 2000, when a small meatcut- ting department successfully organized a union at a Walmart store in Texas, Walmart responded a week later by announcing the phase-out of its in-store meatcut- ting company-wide. No meat-cutters - no union! Growing movement of Walmart employees speak- ing up More and more we are reading about Walmart workers who are trying to reform the company. They are banding together, walking infor- mational picket lines, trying des- perately to get public support for a reformed Walmart, one that doesn't reap profits at the expense of work- ing families. Not just anti- worker, but anti-public edu- cation, too T here's an education part to this story, too. The Walmart Foundation supports organ- izations and think-tanks that are anti-public education, anti-NEA, and anti-public school employee. This foundation supports the Alliance for School Choice, a national pro-voucher organization. It supports the Center for Education Reform with millions of dollars, a clearinghouse for vouch- er activity and fervent NEA criti- cism. And, it supports think tanks and advocacy groups that provide "research" promoting the benefits of vouchers and tax credits. Groups receiving Walton grants include the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and the Fordham Foundation. www.dsea.org September 2012 DSEA ACTION! 15