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Gazing into the Future: Wal-Mart and the Unions

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SharynS	Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 3:12 am
Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 2941 Location: the 'puter	The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, together with the Teamsters Union, has lately been putting a large amount of its resources into a crusade to publicize the substandard pay and benefits of workers at the giant "big box" retailer, Wal-Mart. This campaign, given the unions' tepid effort to organize Wal-Mart's "associates," raises a number of interesting questions. read more... _________________ Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself. - Salman Rushdie
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wm pasz	Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 12:37 pm
Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 1219 Location: Toronto	Quote: The legendary labor journalist, 92-year-old Harry Kelber, has a good idea. Harry concedes that Wal-Mart is a tough egg. But wait, he says, there's 13 million of us, if you count the rank and file. If we embarked on an all-out campaign to get unpaid union members to go and talk to their sisters and brothers at Wal-Mart, surely we could organize a few of their thousands of stores in the US. Then the rest would be ripe to follow. Poor Harry. He makes the assumption that those 13 million union members (or some significant number of them) will have something to tell the unorganized that will persuade them to join a union like the UFCW. He's wrong on this. Out of the 13 million, many are dissatisfied with the union they belong to or are disconnected from it to the point where it's really nothing more than an insurance policy that they pay a monthly premium for. The failings of unions like the UFCW are what is keeping the unorganized from joining unions. Until those failings are acknowledged and remedied, nobody is going to be persuaded, no matter how many of the rank and file (hate that expression - that's part of the problem too) knock on doors and implore working people to join their insurance company. _________________ Time is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. You don't need anything else. - Malcolm X
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SharynS	Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:17 am
Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 2941 Location: the 'puter	I read a little sarcasm in Harry's imaginings - I think he's opining on what labour could look like and what could happen if labour f'ktards weren't simply using walmart as a poster campaign to keep their delusions alive. _________________ Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself. - Salman Rushdie
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timidsumo	Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:58 am
Joined: 09 Feb 2006 Posts: 35	Somehow I am having difficulty visualizing the coming together of Communism and Hizbullah. But it must be happening. Much easier is Communism and WalMart:- english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres
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wm pasz	Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:03 pm
Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 1219 Location: Toronto	Nothing really strange about this at all. Wal-mart is doing what it needs to do to curry favour with the Chinese government. Similarly, the "unionization" of its workforce in China is another administrative obligation that it needs to carry out in order to operate in a desirable market. _________________ Time is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. You don't need anything else. - Malcolm X
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SharynS	Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:06 pm
Joined: 28 Jan 2006 Posts: 2941 Location: the 'puter	What’s good for Shanghai is good for St-Hyacinthe Quote: Recently, UFCW Canada had the pleasure of hosting a group of unionists from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU). During our deliberations, we discussed several matters pertaining to international labour issues, including Wal-Mart and its evolving position regarding unionization. _________________ Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself. - Salman Rushdie
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rogead	Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 6:48 pm
Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 412	Quote: During our deliberations, we discussed several matters pertaining to international labour issues, including Wal-Mart and its evolving position regarding unionization. I think that Wal-Mart's transformation has less to do with their evolving position regarding unionization, and far more to do with organized labor's devolving position regarding their responsibilities to workers. Wal-Mart has shown throughout their history that they will make whatever accommodations are necessary in order for their business to prosper. I fear that UFCW articles such as this are subtle attempts to prepare current and potential union members for a series of meaningless "contracts" between Wal-Mart and the UFCW. The fact remains that Wal-Mart will never accept terms which parallel even the concessionary contracts being negotiated in North America today. To think that the company would even consider signing on to a labor agreement that is legitimately in the interests of its workers is sheer lunacy. The only way that the UFCW will ever be able to negotiate realistic labor agreements with Wal-Mart is for the union to become uncompromising in its negotiations with its current employers. Given the hierarchical structures of the union and its history of contract degradation; that seems a very distant and unlikely scenario.
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weiser	Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:07 am
Joined: 30 Jan 2006 Posts: 190 Location: Chilliwack	Quote: A little solidarity Sep 21st 2006 \| BEIJING From The Economist print edition Increased union membership generates cash for the government THE Chinese Communist Party has always been swift to crush independent organisations of workers, but even its own puppet trade unions have had a hard time in recent years. Until recently at least, the burgeoning private sector has eschewed them and so too has its workforce, despite widespread abuses such as dangerous working conditions, derisory wages and forced overtime. But now the party-controlled unions are making a comeback. Is it time for bosses to worry? Read more: http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7949866 It's sort of like the UFCW in North America
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loonietunes	Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:45 pm
Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 1210	rogead wrote: The only way that the UFCW will ever be able to negotiate realistic labor agreements with Wal-Mart is for the union to become uncompromising in its negotiations with its current employers. Given the hierarchical structures of the union and its history of contract degradation; that seems a very distant and unlikely scenario. That is so True Rogead! Although--I do see a future Union-WalMart-Government--Courts connection--I really do! "All Four" want to control the working stiff-- --what better way than to unionize the Wal Mart workers with "Bullshit" contracts-- Happy New Year to you all--- -- and thanks for allowing me to be part of the "UNCHARTED" family! _________________ "BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE"
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