Wal-Mart: Capitalism at its Finest

[PeachMonkey]

http://www.alternet.org/rights/19901/

The largest employer in the US and one of the world's most powerful corporations became that way:

-- With over a billion dollars of taxpayer subsidies
-- Wage and benefit plans that cost states hundreds of millions in state aid (California alone pays $86 million a year in state aid to Wal-Mart employees)
-- By aggressively acting against employees' rights to unionize
-- With two different compensation and promotion paths: one for men, and one for women

Oh, and there's the whole pressuring employees illegally into working unpaid thang.

Clearly not all companies behave this way, but surely the abuses of this particular one show how supervision and regulation is required to curb the worst excesses of the system.

 

[Feisty Mouse]

With over a billion dollars of taxpayer subsidies
-- Wage and benefit plans that cost states hundreds of millions in state aid (California alone pays $86 million a year in state aid to Wal-Mart employees)

It's things like this that make my blood boil when people gripe about welfare recipients. Corporate welfare - for profitable companies who treat their employees badly - is insane.

 

[Cryozombie]

Not to mention its just a crummy place to work in general.

Nothing like getting up every morning to go into work to do the "Wal-Mart Cheer"

Blah. Its like a cult I tells ya... I'm glad I escaped their clutches so many years ago...

 

[PeachMonkey]

It's things like this that make my blood boil when people gripe about welfare recipients. Corporate welfare - for profitable companies who treat their employees badly - is insane.

Yep. Not only does Wal-Mart get over a billion in corporate welfare, but as the quote you highlighted suggests, they pay their employees so little and give them such paltry benefits that the state has to step up to take care of them.

But hey, at least they rollback prices with that cute little yellow smiley dude!

 

[MisterMike]

I'm not for welfare of any sort, so this is plain nuts, althought I think Walmart's been covered in this forum before.

As for state bennies, usually the state kicks in if they think the company is giving some sort of benefit to the public, like jobs.

Which leads to, where would these people be working if Walmart was not around? Not to belittle the job, but this is rather unskilled labor here. Do they deserve more pay, yea probably.

I'd call it unregulated capitalism at it's finest. Capitalism, still the way to go.

 

[Feisty Mouse]

As for state bennies, usually the state kicks in if they think the company is giving some sort of benefit to the public, like jobs.

I think the state *has* to kick in, because there are people without basic coverage met who still have these jobs with lousy to nil benefits.

I think it is a sad and pathetic turn for our country when it has become acceptible practice for companies to exploit their workers, rather than "invest" in them (i.e. health insurance, sick leave, family leave, etc.). Companies who invest in their employees will see the rewards in loyalty and growth, rather than high-turnover jobs with lousy benefits.

 

[MisterMike]

Yea, but I wonder how many are full time. Isn't that a requirement to getting company benefits?