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Wal-Mart making their employees shell out hard earned money for a new corporate mandated dress code is a new low.
Hardly a new low at all.
When I worked retail jobs in a grocery store as well as in a liquor store back in the 80's- both places were unionized- and both required clerks wear dress shirts and ties at the clerk's own expense. I worked in a hotel kitchen (non union) back in the day, they required white shoes for the staff.
Plenty of other employers have dress codes as well. Walmart is hardly unique in their requirements for their associates.
Plenty of other employers have dress codes as well. Walmart is hardly unique in their requirements for their associates.
If you are making 9.50/hour, it's a significant expense. If they gave their employees some kind of discount for purchasing new clothes, I don't think it would be a concern.
Even Wharton has called out Wal-Mart on their poorly executed dress code fiasco:
If you are making 9.50/hour, it's a significant expense. If they gave their employees some kind of discount for purchasing new clothes, I don't think it would be a concern.
Even Wharton has called out Wal-Mart on their poorly executed dress code fiasco:
I was making $3.50 when the minimum wage was $3.35 in the union grocery store. In the hotel kitchen I was making $2.25 (in the 70's) when the min wage was a deuce. I was making $5.50 in the liquor store during the 3.35 min wage.
If your a customer, you don't want the store clerks to look like a crumbum.
I've never been a fan of unions, but I also realize that at one time they fulfilled an important role. A lot of the benefits we now take for granted came about because unions forced employers to provide them.
But unions became corrupt and became tyrants. A friend of mine delivered boats to the New York City Boat Show, and union workers basically made him grease everyone's palms before they would move his boats into the venue. I also worked for a company and when a new union took over our shop I was not allowed to walk into the warehouse unless I was accompanied by a union worker (I was office staff and non union) It was like we were on two different teams.
With that being said, I see a resurgence in companies shoving more and more down employees throats because they know people are hungry to keep their jobs. Maybe it is time for decent unions to organize again to protect people from unreasonable demands by employers.
Don't forget to add the UAW to the list of bad apples.
In any case the arguments for the value of unions make little difference. Private sector union membership has declined from about 25% to 7% and dropping. Inefficiencies and high wages promoted by unions have killed off many of the previous unionized companies. The UAW pushed for automotive assembler salaries that reached $140,000/year. That proved to be unsustainable and about killed the unionized auto plants. Obama has spent a lot of effort trying to justify saving the remains of the US auto industry. Saved or not the industry has greatly changed and union activity will never reach the previous height of power.
Unions may have been a necessary reaction to the monopolistic, robber baron companies that existed a century ago, but those days are long over.
Walmart is spending a lot of time and money trying to prevent organization of it's workforce. They put themselves 'in the cross-hairs' with their low wages and benefits. They know they are vulnerable because their workers do not provide a product, they provide a service. Walmart cannot say 'we had to move manufacturing...' or 'we cannot afford to continue building...' because they don't manufacture or build anything.
Walmart cannot blame the organization of it's workforce and move operations off shore like auto companies et al.
They know consumers can just go next door to Target.
I, for one, would LOVE to see some sort of collective bargaining for walmart workers. It would start a dialog among ALL retailers to consider the people who keep their doors open.
Walmart is spending a lot of time and money trying to prevent organization of it's workforce. .
Walmart wants to keep control of its stores, they have future innovations planned and having to bargain with union representatives over the exact implementation of the their new ideas gives the competition a chance to trump them on it.
It isn't surprising in the least that keeping their operations prerogatives open by keeping the labor bosses out would be something that they would want to invest in.
Even if Walmart gave its associates a 5% wage across the board, or even 10%, it wouldn't stop the unions efforts to get into the stores. Walmart raises don't generate dues money for the unions.
Don't forget to add the UAW to the list of bad apples.
In any case the arguments for the value of unions make little difference. Private sector union membership has declined from about 25% to 7% and dropping. Inefficiencies and high wages promoted by unions have killed off many of the previous unionized companies. The UAW pushed for automotive assembler salaries that reached $140,000/year. That proved to be unsustainable and about killed the unionized auto plants. Obama has spent a lot of effort trying to justify saving the remains of the US auto industry. Saved or not the industry has greatly changed and union activity will never reach the previous height of power.
Unions may have been a necessary reaction to the monopolistic, robber baron companies that existed a century ago, but those days are long over.
My dad was a member of a trade union at General Motors, not the UAW, and when the government came in to take over and renegotiate things, my dad lost most of his retiree healthcare, life insurance and other benefits. So don't think the government can't swoop in and steal all the union benefits you were promised. He worked well into his 70's.
My dad was a member of a trade union at General Motors, not the UAW, and when the government came in to take over and renegotiate things, my dad lost most of his retiree healthcare, life insurance and other benefits. So don't think the government can't swoop in and steal all the union benefits you were promised. He worked well into his 70's.
The government did not swoop in and steal anything. The unions pushed the big 3 for wages and benefits which were way beyond reasonable. That only worked when the American car buyer had to pay high prices for low quality. It was over with when the unions were no longer able to maintain their control. Bankruptcy allowed the auto makers to wipe out some debts. That was inevitable. What the Fed did in addition was to front huge amounts of money to bail out GM and Chrysler so that the American auto industry could continue. Of course, Chrysler has not been an American company for many years.
It is unfortunate you dad got caught in the middle. In some cases unions have managed member benefits. Often that has not worked out well either since funds have been mismanaged or stolen. Unfortunately unions can be like a parasite that kills the host. Once the host is dead the inflow of cash stops and retiree benefits may end. That has happened very frequently which partly explains the decline of unions.
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