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  • From: "Kristen James Eberlein" <kristeneberlein AT mindspring.com>
  • To: "InterNetWorkers" <internetworkers AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: WalMart
  • Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 23:06:09 -0400


You know, by and large I'd agree, but the way Wal-Mart squeezes its
employees just makes too queasy to even think of shopping there.

The Independent's article sums it up fairly well:

"Yes, there is the happy-faced "greeter" who welcomes shoppers into every
store, and employees (or "associates," as the company grandiosely calls
them) gather just before opening each morning for a pep rally . . .

Behind this manufactured cheerfulness, however, is the fact that the average
employee makes only $15,000 a year for full-time work. Most are denied even
this poverty income, for they're held to part-time work. While the company
brags that 70 percent of its workers are full-time, at Wal-Mart "full time"
is 28 hours a week, meaning they gross less than $11,000 a year.

Health-care benefits? Only if you've been there two years; then the plan
hits you with such huge premiums that few can afford it--only 38 percent of
Wal-Marters are covered.

Thinking union? Get outta here! "Wal-Mart is opposed to unionization," reads
a company guidebook for supervisors. "You, as a manager, are expected to
support the company's position. ... This may mean walking a tightrope
between legitimate campaigning and improper conduct." "

Yes, all corporations are greedy, but some are particularly egregious.

Kris





  • WalMart, Kristen James Eberlein, 07/15/2002

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