| Online: | |
| Visits: | |
| Stories: |
| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Are WalMart’s Pay Raises A Good Thing?
The budding “revolutionary guards” among WalMart employees may be learning a lesson about economics in the real world–a course they were never offered during their substandard public educations.
The pressure from militant employees and union thugs has brought about a series of raises for WalMart workers, which is supposed to be good news. But is it?
Some of these raises will start immediately, and others will follow until all REMAINING workers will see remarkable increases in their salaries; some will be getting $80 per week raises.
Nevertheless, WalMart has not become the largest retailer in the world by voluntarily shrinking its own already razor-thin profit margin. The “hard fought – hard won” raises have a price tag that will be paid by some of the very “revolutionaries” who fought so hard for them.
Since the new pay structure was announced, WalMart has experienced an outbreak of “faulty plumbing” in some of its stores. These suspiciously handy “plumbing failures” have necessitated closing at least five stores due to “ongoing plumbing issues that will require extensive repairs.” A review of the listed stores shows that one, in Pico Rivera, California, has been the scene of ongoing employee work stoppages and picketing.
During the widely reported incidents, a worker was quoted as saying she “walked out …missing her afternoon shift, because ‘when we speak out, they cut my hours in retaliation and they have me pull pallets, which is very hard work. I’m a single mom and I can’t afford them cutting my hours.’”
Apparently, she never heard the story of WalMart’s Jonquiere, Quebec store. In 2004, its workers voted to join a union. In response, the company closed the store six months later, citing the union’s requirement that new workers be added and new work rules be imposed. Yes, the union appealed to the Canadian Supreme Court and won, meaning the 190 fired workers may eventually get back pay with interest; but WalMart had made its point. The store has yet to reopen.
This time, WalMart has apparently learned its lesson: Say you’re closing because of plumbing problems, not union rules!
The Pico Rivera store will be closed for at least six months. Has WalMart now added “lessons from the real world” like “don’t tug on Superman’s cape” to its employee benefits package?
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Equipping You With The Truth
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/are-walmarts-pay-raises-a-good-thing/
