Trumka blasts Obama on Walmart

[Denny Crane]

http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/05/trumka-blasts-obama-on-walmart-163338.html?hp=l14

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka bashed President Obama and Vice President Biden for "valorizing" Walmart pledges to hire returning veterans.

"Walmart’s recent announcement of a plan to hire returning honorably discharged veterans is more about public relations than honoring our heroes," Trumka said. "That this effort was valorized by President Obama and Vice President Biden reflects an acceptance of economic failure out of line with America’s history or future.

"We owe it to our returning veterans to make sure they are treated as the heroes they are, rather than as symbols used to “greenwash” Walmart’s eroding brand. After facing enemies abroad, is an $8.81 an hour part-time job the best we can offer returning veterans?"

Obama, Biden and their wives participated in a White House event last week announcing the commitments by Walmart and other companies to hire veterans. The retailer pledged to hire "any honorably discharged veteran within his or her first 12 months off active duty beginning this Memorial Day," according to the White House announcement.

 

[Denny Crane]

Walmart is far from perfect, but why is this a bad thing they're doing?

The $8.81/hr job thing may be true to start, but I bet returning vets end up making a lot more than that in short order.

 

[RR7]

Walmart is far from perfect, but why is this a bad thing they're doing?

The $8.81/hr job thing may be true to start, but I bet returning vets end up making a lot more than that in short order.

I was wondering the same. Even if it's primarily for promotion, if they don't follow through, it will come out and be a huge negative hit. Is the 8.81 the best offer they'll get? Maybe not. But if they are discharged, and looking for work, they're free to look elsewhere. It's nice to know there's SOMETHING you can turn to if needed.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Walmart is far from perfect, but why is this a bad thing they're doing?

The $8.81/hr job thing may be true to start, but I bet returning vets end up making a lot more than that in short order.

Because Wal-Mart employees, while underpaid and drastically underperked, aren't extorted into tithing to uber-corrupt labor unions.

 

[DaLincolnJones]

Because Wal-Mart employees, while underpaid and drastically underperked, aren't extorted into tithing to uber-corrupt labor unions.

spot on

 

[MARIS61]

Without walmart, China would not be a super power. The money you spend at walmart funds the Chinese government.

Therefore if you shop at walmart, or even say nice things about it, you are a communist sympathizer.

You pinkos make me puke.

 

[jlprk]

Walmart is far from perfect, but why is this a bad thing they're doing?

The $8.81/hr job thing may be true to start, but I bet returning vets end up making a lot more than that in short order.

Raises at Wal-Mart?

Ha ha ha ha!!! As they say in China, you funny boy!!

 

[Denny Crane]

Raises at Wal-Mart?

Ha ha ha ha!!! As they say in China, you funny boy!!

The average worker at Walmart makes $43,834 according to glassdoor.com.

That's about $21.10 per hour. Or ~$13 more than the $8.81 starting wage.

 

[jlprk]

Glassdoor must have polled the greeters for what they think the CEO makes.

 

[Denny Crane]

Glassdoor must have polled the greeters for what they think the CEO makes.

Or they polled the 170,000 workers who get promotions each year.

 

[RR7]

The average worker at Walmart makes $43,834 according to glassdoor.com.

That's about $21.10 per hour. Or ~$13 more than the $8.81 starting wage.

That's not the average worker. That's the average assistant manager. The average worker makes under 9 an hour.

 

[Denny Crane]

That's not the average worker. That's the average assistant manager. The average worker makes under 9 an hour.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/lowe...ction-veterans/story?id=18220671#.UYm9SpXvAn0

In the U.S., the average wage for a full-time hourly Walmart associate is $12.57, according to the company. That's $26,108 a year at 40 hours a week, or just above the federal poverty level of $23,050 for a family of four.

(that's for associates)

The basic pay for E-1 active duty soldiers with less than two years of experience starts at around $18,194. That may be lower in the first four months of service, the Army says on its website, but that does not include the free housing, health benefits, or food allowance also offered.

...

About 75 percent of store managers started as store associates, according to Randy Hargrove, a spokesman for Walmart.

The average pay for store managers is $50,000 to $170,000 a year, said Hargrove. The highest-paid store manager last year made $250,000.

(the average salary of workers includes these guys, too, and pharmacists, etc.)

"When you're talking about our store associates and rising through the ranks every year, we promote about 170,000 people to jobs with more responsibilities and higher pay," Hargrove said.

(1 in 6 workers get promoted each year, so they're not permanently bottom of the salary scale workers)

--

I'd also point out that 2 people working at $26,108 make more than the median household income (e.g. upper 1/2 of wage earning families in the country)

 

[julius]

Sounds like just a reason to bitch about Obama, because he's right. We should be hiring these guys for far more than barely above minimum wage.

The conservatives on this board (er...the libertarians and independents....) are doing EXACTLY the same thing that liberals and democrats did to Bush that they hated. Making every stupid fucking comment he said into a way to bash him.

 

[RR7]

was simply going off of glassdoor that you chose to use, showing average under 9 an hour. Now you're throwing out a whole new set of figures. And I imagine you'll have a fun link to something else after this.

 

[ABM]

Without walmart, China would not be a super power. The money you spend at walmart funds the Chinese government.

I limit my Wal-Mart purchases to meat & dairy products. Supports the local economy.

 

[jlprk]

Go to Target. They make local donations.

 

[Denny Crane]

Sounds like just a reason to bitch about Obama, because he's right. We should be hiring these guys for far more than barely above minimum wage.

The conservatives on this board (er...the libertarians and independents....) are doing EXACTLY the same thing that liberals and democrats did to Bush that they hated. Making every stupid fucking comment he said into a way to bash him.

Obama held a party for Walmart to promote the hiring of ex military.

Next?

 

[Denny Crane]

was simply going off of glassdoor that you chose to use, showing average under 9 an hour. Now you're throwing out a whole new set of figures. And I imagine you'll have a fun link to something else after this.

You chose some subset of Walmart workers to suit your argument. Awesome.

 

[RR7]

You chose some subset of Walmart workers to suit your argument. Awesome.

i went to glass door like you. awesome!

 

[Denny Crane]

i went to glass door like you. awesome!

Sure. And of the hundreds of Walmart jobs listed, you chose ONE that suited your purpose.

Anyhow, here's 15,000 current and former Walmart employees reviewing their jobs.

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Walmart/reviews

A few complained about the pay, but far more liked the benefits, long lunches, frequent pay raises, etc.

I'm not going to change your mind, perhaps. I'm satisfied that people choose to work there of their own free will. If the job didn't pay enough, people would take the govt. handouts instead.

 

[ABM]

Sure. And of the hundreds of Walmart jobs listed, you chose ONE that suited your purpose.

Anyhow, here's 15,000 current and former Walmart employees reviewing their jobs.

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Walmart/reviews

A few complained about the pay, but far more liked the benefits, long lunches, frequent pay raises, etc.

I'm not going to change your mind, perhaps. I'm satisfied that people choose to work there of their own free will. If the job didn't pay enough, people would take the govt. handouts instead.

Careful, now. We're certain to soon have a MARIS spotting!

 

[MARIS61]

Nearly half of Wal-Mart's employees are part time with no bennies, forcing most to supplement their below poverty level income with government assistance. American taxpayers subsidize Wal-Mart'workers to the tune of $1, 000, 000, 000.00 every year.

 

[ABM]

Nearly half of Wal-Mart's employees are part time with no bennies, forcing most to supplement their below poverty level income with government assistance. American taxpayers subsidize Wal-Mart'workers to the tune of $1, 000, 000, 000.00 every year.

Whatever happened to getting second jobs? Folks used to do it all the time. I rarely shop at Wal-Mart, but I'm not going to blame them for running their business the way they see fit. The marketplace controls itself in the end.

 

[MARIS61]

Whatever happened to getting second jobs? Folks used to do it all the time. I rarely shop at Wal-Mart, but I'm not going to blame them for running their business the way they see fit. The marketplace controls itself in the end.

Wal-Mart makes most workers work a flex schedule, which constantly changes hours and days.

 

[MARIS61]

makingchangeatwalmart.org

 

[ABM]

Wal-Mart makes most workers work a flex schedule, which constantly changes hours and days.

Then quit and get a real job......right?

 

[Denny Crane]

Nearly half of Wal-Mart's employees are part time with no bennies, forcing most to supplement their below poverty level income with government assistance. American taxpayers subsidize Wal-Mart'workers to the tune of $1, 000, 000, 000.00 every year.

70% of them quit before a year is up. Many of the jobs are hard physical labor, like unloading pallets of goods and stocking them on shelves. You know, the kind of thing a realtor wouldn't want to dirty his hands doing.

What I read about Walmart tonight is:
1) They give $.40 to $.60/hour annual raises if you don't get promoted
2) They give quarterly profit sharing bonuses
3) Employees get a 10% discount for store merchandise
4) Many people work there salaried because they can get the job after graduating college and with no work experience
5) Many people report getting 3 raises in 2 years and that sort of thing

MARIS may be technically right, but he's missing the real point. 7% of Walmart's employees were on government assistance before taking the job and that number drops to 3% for those who took the job. With ~1.5M employees in the USA, that 3% looks like 45,000 employees who continue to need assistance.

 

[MARIS61]

You crack me up. I bet your hands are baby soft.

I have over 2 decades of experience running warehouse and manufacturing departments and government supply centers. I used to toss D8CAT batteries onto pallets all day every day. People quit Wal-Mart jobs because they are slave labor and any other job in America pays better.

 

[jlprk]

Why not have the bottom half work for zero wages? This will free up dollars for the top half to make more, and thus buy more, creating more jobs for the bottom half to make goods, and getting those bums off welfare. Even if they have to stay on welfare, you can't criticize their zero wage, because they were on welfare before their income was zero, when it was zero.

The top half who produce everything will save on taxes so they can buy more of what the nonproducing bums produce in their unionist factories.

 

[Denny Crane]

You crack me up. I bet your hands are baby soft.

I have over 2 decades of experience running warehouse and manufacturing departments and government supply centers. I used to toss D8CAT batteries onto pallets all day every day. People quit Wal-Mart jobs because they are slave labor and any other job in America pays better.

Sure. CEO of Government Motors pays more than cashier at Walmart.

But cashier at Walgreens or the grocery stores pays the same.