January 13, 2004

• Perfidious Wal-mart

  
  

  Wal-mart is a disgrace, a running sore on the face of American business. In an era when corporate lying, cheating, and ripping off both customers and stockholders has seemingly become the norm, Wal-mart  stands out as a bloated behemoth on the corporate landscape.  And that is putting it mildly.

  
  

  Numerous news stories over the past year or so have documented Wal-martian evil.  The company committed scores of labor violations in its policies regarding treatment of foreign workers.  Middle management staff is routinely forced to work overtime, with no compensation besides not being fired.  The company routinely breaks fair-trade agreements with wholesalers and manufacturers, so much so that firms with integrity–such as Spyderco, makers of some of the finest knives on the market–refuse to do business with Wal-mart. Right now, there are some 40 lawsuits pending against the company, most filed by former employes who had had enough of being exploited.
  

  
  

  In 1992, the founder made a big deal about buying American, slyly wrapping himself in the flag in order to get some good publicity.  They have since abandoned even a pretense of that.  Their corporate tentacles extend into many third-world countries,  exploiting poor workers by the thousands in order to get cheaper and cheaper goods and greater and greater profits.

  
  

  Now the five and dime from Hell is back in the news. (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/13/business/13WALM.html?thex=1075019934&ei=1&en=63f47a161c4d38cd) An audit of  over 25,000 workers in 128 stores revealed tens of thousands of instances in which children were forced to work on schooldays or long into the night when they had to get for school the next day, workers being forced to work without getting meal breaks, workers getting no breaks at all.

  
  

  The company’s response?  This is an exact corporate quote from the New York Times story–”the audit really means nothing.”  Such unmitigated gall! Such towering arrogance!!  Why don’t they just say “Let’em eat cake,” and be done with it?  The article went on to quote John Lehman, a man who once ran several Wal-mart stores. He became so disgusted with the foulness of corporate Wal-mart that he quit what was undoubtedly a lucrative position to help Wal-mart workers who wished to unionize.  Like the corporate robber barons of old, Wal-mart  works tirelessly to keep its employes from joining unions–god forbid they should have rights.

  
  

  There was another little news story that ran last year. It was widely ignored because it ran in the business section, not on the first page.  Wal-mart came up with still another way to save money by screwing its employes.  As a rule, when you go to work for a big company, you get health benefits right away.  Not Wal-mart!  Now, when you sign on at Wal-mart, you go without health coverage until you have been there for six months  Since Wal-mart has a high turnover rate–due in part to the abysmal working conditions–Wal-mart is saving millions of dollars by denying health care coverage to short-timers.

  
  

  Here in Alaska, Wal-mart has been doing its level its best to destroy our way of life.  A few years ago, Wal-mart invaded Kodiak, an island which depends largely on fishing for its economy.  In short order, local owners of small businesses found themselves out of business–and working at Wal-mart, stocking shelves or forcing smiles on their faces as they greet their former customers at Wal-marts doors.

  
  

  If I had more integrity, I would probably boycott the local (50 miles away) Wal-mart–boycott, heck, I’d picket.  As it is, I hold my nose and shop there for cheap cat food and motor oil.  If I could get a quartz watch for $5, or a reasonably stylish pair of boots for my sweety for $11 elsewhere, I would.  As it is, we do not buy their clothing–we get most all our duds from thrift shops. 

  
  

  But at least when I sup with that particular Devil, I use a long spoon.

  
  

  • 3:50 pm
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