Walmart Holding Food Drive For Its Own Employees

[Rycon67]

Okay, I'm seeing a lot of dodging the bullet or something here.

From researching companies such as Kroger and Safeway, major US retailers that are unionized, and comparing them to Walmart, nonunionized, what's the difference. Pay is similar, benefits are around the same, not really seeing much off the top of my head, from the POV of someone who has never worked for either company.

[Elheru Aran]

Okay, I'm seeing a lot of dodging the bullet or something here.

From researching companies such as Kroger and Safeway, major US retailers that are unionized, and comparing them to Walmart, nonunionized, what's the difference. Pay is similar, benefits are around the same, not really seeing much off the top of my head, from the POV of someone who has never worked for either company.

The main reason the pay is about the same is that the minimum wage is what pretty much every major retailer starts from. Walmart is the industry leader, and as such pretty much sets the standard-- other companies don't want to spend the extra money on pay or benefits or whatever because they lose money that way that they need to compete with Walmart.

Unions don't get traction in big retail these days because they've been considerably defanged thanks to their somewhat unsavory recent history (mob tactics, racketeering, Jimmy Hoffa...). In addition to that, the retail companies are on the watch; a year or so my team got a canned lecture from Home Depot (where I work) about 'unions are all well and good but we take care of you just fine anyway', with the subtle implication that if you joined a union you might find yourself looking for alternate employment in short order.

Walmart is simply more brutally honest about it. Strike or protest labor conditions? Great, they'll fire or otherwise suspend you without pay after you return to work. Join a union? Fired. Your whole store joins a union? Everybody's fired and the store's locked up with a big sign that says something like "Now Hiring, 200 Jobs Open", and you can be damn sure that they won't hire any former employees from that store again.

The only reason I shop there is because they take WIC vouchers, they're within walking distance from my house, and they're cheap. Kroger is marginally more expensive. Aldi is about the same cost, but doesn't take WIC and I have to drive. Doesn't stop me feeling dirty every time I walk in there, though.

Fortunately the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is starting to step in on the workers' side... http://www.thenation.com/article/177254 ... any-longer