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| Great White North |
| Wal-Mart Workers in British Columbia Want to Unionize |
| 2004-11-02 |
| Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers at seven tire centers in British Columbia applied to join the United Food and Commercial Workers, expanding efforts by Canadian unions to make inroads at the world's largest retailer. The employees work at Wal-Mart Tire & Lube Express departments at stores in Surrey, Terrace, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Quesnel, Kamloops and Langford. Between 37 and 40 people applied to join the union, said Andrew Pelletier, a spokesman for Wal-Mart's Canadian unit. Union spokesman Tom Cameron-Fawkes said the figure is ``somewhere between'' 50 and 75. A Wal-Mart tire center typically employs five to 10 people, compared with about 200 people for an entire store, Pelletier said. The union has said it's targeting Bentonville, Arkansas- based Wal-Mart because it's concerned the company's expansion in Canada will put pressure on local rivals to lower wages. The retailer operates 234 Wal-Mart and six Sam's Club stores across the country, including 24 in British Columbia, where Wal-Mart employs more than 5,000. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #8 Wal-Mart wages aren't for living on, they are for subsidizing unlivable Social Security payments, or as a 'Mommy job', or for first time workers getting experience. Even McDonalds pays $8-10 these days, and those jobs are going begging. Admittedly things may be different up north, but if the baseline unemployment is higher than in the U.S., those folks have no excuse to ignore a perfectly good first job. Historical statistics demonstrate that unions love higher salaries, but as a result employers hire fewer people. So the choice is: more people hired at low wages, but off the dole; or, fewer people hired at union wages, but more of their income being absorbed by taxes to support the unemployed. The net effect is about the same amount of money in the pockets of the workers -- but how many people are allowed the dignity of being self-supporting. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2004-11-02 12:37:47 PM |
| #7 There are facts on both sides of the WalMart story. Yes, WalMart pays wages that can leave a family at the poverty level. Having no valuable skills those workers have no options. Other workers’ taxes end up subsidizing the working poor. No, it is not WalMart’s fault. As a company WalMart pays the market rate for unskilled labor. The poor also benefit as WalMart keeps prices low. The problem is an over abundance of unskilled labor. Illegal immigration is a major source of excess unskilled labor today. Stop illegal immigration and wages for unskilled labor should rise. Then WalMart would pay more. (Even with no illegal immigration there may be a problem in the long run as automation diminishes the demand for unskilled labor. Eventually even $10 hour checkers and baggers will be more expensive than new robots. And those robots won’t be joining a union anytime soon.) |
| Posted by: Anonymous5032 2004-11-02 12:36:35 PM |
| #6 Cheaderhead's right--after all, these people are hostages and have no options to look elsewhere for work. [/sarcasm] |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-11-02 11:07:37 AM |
| #5 If you don't like the wages, find another job. You are qualified to do something, right? Your problem isn't with Walmart, it's with the other guy who's willing to work for that wage. If nobody takes the job at that wage, Walmart raises the wage. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-11-02 11:05:45 AM |
| #4 I hope they do and Wal-Mart gets kicked in the teeth if they try to pull any crap to stop them. Wal-Mart and their constant pressure on companies to cut costs and prices are part of the problem of decent paying jobs fleeing the US. And for the people who think the're communists, I suggest you try living on the wages that Wal-Mart pays. |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2004-11-02 10:56:24 AM |
| #3 Fire these g*ddamn communists while you still have time. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-11-02 10:26:04 AM |
| #2 Crack down on them and crack down on them hard ... or publically blame them, their benefits and their wages if the jobs go south. (I mean south figuratively.) |
| Posted by: Shaiter Thrutle8631 2004-11-02 8:43:48 AM |
| #1 This could be fun. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-11-02 7:02:59 AM |