Forum Post: Occupy Walmart - Another step backward
Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 29, 2012, 10:58 p.m. EST by jrhirsch
(4714)
from Sun City, CA
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
The recent blockading of Walmart distribution centers shows a total lack of positive and effective strategy. It alienates more people from our cause just to get a days publicity. If you don't like Walmart's unfair labor practices don't shop there! Instead encourage all low wage workers to self unionize without a formal union and strike for higher wages and benefits. If enough workers would realize the absolute necessity of their labor to the corporations they would join in solidariry and not allow themselves to be undervalued. The lower paid workers can only accomplish a living wage if they stop accepting the lie that they aren't worth much because of supply and demand. It is up to them to shut off the supply of workers at $8 an hour and turn the supply back on at $12 or more. People are so powerful, if they only knew it.
Walmart has about 1.6 million workers. Walmart makes 3.2 billion dollars off their employees for every dollar they are underpaid. Who needs to make a profit, just get more workers willing to work for substandard wages.
Yeah! Make them be willing to work for less than market value of labor!
I hate Wal-Mart
Only fools shop at Walmart.
When Walmart stops funding the corruption of our government and engaging in tactics to limit workers' rights to organize, then maybe we should consider not protesting them or shutting them down. Until then, this is one small step forward, with many more to follow! :)
What is more effective? A few hundred people blockading Walmart for one day, or millions not shopping at Walmart for 365 days?
These aren't mutually exclusive.
Boycotts are more effective. Blockades are viewed as criminal acts and sours the very people that lean toward the occupy movement.
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MLK ended segregation on Montgomery Alabama buses in 1956 by boycotting the bus company for a complete year. They did not blockade the buses. If they did, they would be guilty of a crime that would have damaged the civil rights movement. Can you picture MLK Blockading Walmart, yelling FU to the police, throwing bottles, Etc? Not a chance.
"yelling FU to the police, throwing bottles" are petty, reaching examples that do not represent the general nature of these actions nor the tactics used.
The boycotts didn't end the segregation in Alabama. It was Browder v. Gayle. (Not that the boycotts were a bad idea though, of course.)
Blockading streets, ports, warehouses, FU the police, are not petty examples. They are common examples viewed as criminal acts by many and handicap the movement. To fight injustice, do not become unjust yourself.
Blockading streets, ports, warehouses from use of those who are corrupting our government and controlling our economy are indeed not petty examples, nor are they unjust.
For every unskilled worker who goes on strike at Walmart there are 5 other unskilled unemployed workers willing to take their place.
Walmart shelf stockers or greeters should not be considering those jobs to be "careers". They are stepping stone jobs - places to work while you educate yourself in order to work at a better job.
If the other 5 unskilled workers also refused to work for $8 an hour, the strike would be effective. Even an "unskilled" worker is far more skilled than he is told. No machine or computer can replace them in general. The human body and mind is a wonderous machine.
Machines are far more productive than humans. Robots have precision tooling skills that no human can match. There are machine tools that can hit tolerances unheard of by a man with a grinder.
Machines can outperform humans in very specific operations. They are Idiot/Savants. They still need to be run by people. They can't match human ingenuity and adaptability.
Tell that to the "shelf stockers" or "greeters" who have been there for several years. They are just satisfied with where they are.
Walmart workers are happy with the wages they are making otherwise they would be working somewhere else.
And if they are only working there because they can't get a job elsewhere, then they must be satisfied with their wage because if they weren't they would be organizing a union. Or maybe they are just afraid for fear of losing their job?
Do you really believe anyone is happy working for minimum wage? Walmart vigorously fights all attempts at unionizing. Low wages are one of the keys to their success. They have a 70% employee turnover rate. Not a sign of a a satisfied workforce.
Your question "do you really believe anyone is happy working for minimum wage" is dependent on if it's a person who just got out of high school or a person with a family.
So, a person who just got out of high school would be very happy to work at minimum wage. On the other hand a person who has to support a family and has to work for minimum wage sucks.
And the reason it sucks is because that person has to pay more bills and has more expenses.
So, I look at it as a problem with our society.
Having a family with only the job skills to make minimum wage is what our society is today.
Having a family and then getting a divorce leaving the mother to take care of the children is what our socity is today.
Having a family, getting into debt up to their eyeballs and not being able to afford to pay the bills when the SHTF is what our society is today.
Having a family, and not having any savings is what our society is today.
Going to college and getting into debt without having a job is what our society is today.
The list goes on and on - and who's fault is it - it's the fault of our society - they are the ones who put themselves into this position.
And now they want someone to get them out of it instead of doing it themselves. They don't want to give up their $45,000 suv, flat screen tv, Ipods, laptops and all the other "intrusive" devices they use on a day to day basis.
When each individual becomes responsible for their own actions and acts accordingly, this country will be a much better place to live and I might add there will be a lot less government and more wealthy people.
We live in a society that is "lazy" and wants the easy way out.
I agree blockading Walmart is a stupid fucking thing to do. Pissing off people is not a great way to get a positive spin for your cause.