DES MOINES – As hundreds/thousands of Walmart workers prepare for a busy Black Friday shopping season, the Iowa Federation of Labor applauds their courage and stands in solidarity with these brave workers and their families who have been demonstrating for a fair wage and better working conditions.
“When workers feel empowered to stand up for themselves in the face of corporate domination of our economy, I say that there is something changing…and it is about time.” said Ken Sagar, President if the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO
Walmart is the symbol of rising economic inequality in America. The large corporation made $17 billion in profits this year, but pays its employees poverty wages: 825,000 of their employees make less than $25,000 a year, trapping them and their families in a state of economic insecurity. A job shouldn’t trap workers in poverty. It should lift them out of it.
If Walmart raised wages, it would increase its employees’ purchasing power, create more jobs and improve the economy. Instead, Walmart workers are forced to rely on billions in annual government assistance to survive while the wealth of the six Walmart heirs is greater than the combined wealth of 42% of American families. It’s not good for our community or our economy that the Walton family and Walmart’s well-paid corporate executives are padding their pockets while hundreds of thousands of Walmart workers are struggling to support their families.
Working families of Iowa recognize that low labor standards somewhere affect labor standards everywhere and strongly support the workers’ request to earn a living wage. The Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO is calling on the corporate giant to pay all its workers at least $25,000 annually to provide their families a chance to escape low wages and a life of poverty. The company can certainly afford it.
More union members = more union dues collected by the AFL-CIO. Hmmm, could there be a connection?
So Sagar – is the issue that some Wal-Mart employees are under compensated and as a result tap the welfare system for additional assistance, or is it that AFL-CIO is out trolling for members and dues?
If you were truly in support of Wal-Mart employees and the cost of their existence – to the company and the taxpayers – then you’d start with immigration policies that allow illegals to work here and tap the welfare system as well. Just imagine what it would be like if there were only legal workers – Wal-Mart and others would have to pay more simply due to market conditions. But of course, if their employees were paid more simply because of market conditions – who would need the AFL-CIO?
Perhaps unions are more of the problem than we thought.
Walmart has come under fire for knowingly hiring undocumented workers many times. Why isn’t it Walmart’s responsibility to use scrutiny when hiring employees? Valiant attempt to revert focus from the importance of paying people a living wage.
Genetics – Wal-Mart is not alone in this – use of E-verify has not been enforced as it should because enforcement would throw all sorts of low wage illegals out of work which the national Chamber of Commerce membership does not want to happen. They are content to pay low wages while the taxpayers provide additional freebies.
If the AFL-CIO would support enforcement of immigration laws then their potential dues paying members would earn enough to pay their own way and union dues.
Support the people of China. Shop Walmart!
I am sure many of the workers are happy to have a job and I, for one, am glad they have one. But, our minimum wage workers are getting screwed. The US has one of the lowest minimum wages among the large, capitalistic nations while our executives have the largest average wage. Australia, for one, has a minimum wage of over $15 an hour and an unemployment rate around 5%. WalMart is among the worst of the employers. Besides paying crap wages, they have ruined hundreds of small, local businesses in the towns where they are located. Such a great place.
Well said. However it should be noted that the slaves had jobs.
“Australia, for one, has a minimum wage of over $15 an hour and an unemployment rate around 5%.”
But you only tell half the story;
Milk in Austraila runs you A$5.60/gal; only $US4.50
Electricity runs A$.1713/kW-Hr, $US.1155/kW-hr
A case of Budweizer A$59.99, $US19.99
Median price of a house A$475,000, $US 221,800
A Large Cheese Pizza $A 20.00 + 10%GST
2013 Ford F-150 Raptor runs $A 110,000, but $US 60,000
Always look at the cost/level of living in other place when comparing to the US. IF we compared the the minimum wage of the US to that in Mexico or the Africa, the US minimum wage would look pretty dam good.
“Besides paying crap wages, they have ruined hundreds of small, local businesses in the towns where they are located.”
Woe is me the EVIL Auto Industry drove the Horse and Buggy Industry, the Whip makers, and the ferriers out of business. The EVIL elctrical producers closed down the Whaling Indusrty, leaving all those sailors destitute. Those small business are force out of business because they try and COMPETE with Walmart (also K-Mart, Target, Hy-Vee, Roses, Wallgreens. etc). If the small Mom & Pop stores want to STAY in business they will have to offer something that the customer will pay more for.
OK, I see your point but their minimum wage is almost twice ours. The cost for most of the commodities are higher but not twice what we pay. And, there would be lower cost locally produced products that would be lower priced. That being said, if we raised our minimum wage to $15, don’t you believe our costs for goods would rise accordingly? Or do you think our benevolent industrialists would allow us to continue paying the same price for their goods? You didn’t address the compensation paid the executives in our corporations. Their salaries have risen faster than workers wages over the past 20 years. It certainly isn’t because they work harder. The common worker in this country works for peanuts while the honchos work so they can afford cars that cost more than their workers average yearly salaries. That is greed.
Did you take into account the exchange rate?
Make it a little less attractive when $10 US = $10.96 Australian.
Pay for those in management is hirer true, but how many people compete for the upper level management verses the number of people who compete for the common “entry level” jobs. Most every place I have worked have a program in one form or another to improve oneself, making him/you more valuable (thus paid more) to the company. I’ve a friend who works at Subway, started as a sandwich/cashier, he applied himself and made assistant manager in 4 months, after 6 the owner wanted him to be manager.
“That being said, if we raised our minimum wage to $15, don’t you believe our costs for goods would rise accordingly? Or do you think our benevolent industrialists would allow us to continue paying the same price for their goods”
No I don’t believe that the “benevolent industrialists” would eat the cost of a cost of labor increase, believe otherwise would be ludicrous. But then after all the price increases and cost taking, the common worker would be no better off than before. Labor costs and pay do not exist in a vacuum.
@Bodacious-It was kind of strange that out of the ten people arrested for illegal picketing this weekend only “two” worked at WalMart. Do you get the idea that maybe the majority of the employees are not in favor of the union?
Don’t worry, big brother Obama will take care of them. Just like he took care of the rest of the nation.
Why would anyone be surprised that the unions are backing this push. Most people who work at WalMart are just happy to have a job.
Less happy and more lucky to have a job. Once you work at Wally there aint much lower to go. Have you seen the Goth night crew in MC? Freaky? Yes. Christians? Probly not. Felons? Quite likely.
I compare it to prisoners filing frivolous lawsuits and wasting the taxpayers’ money. These people probably got what they deserved, a job at Walmart. But someone got all their co-workers in an uproar and then got the union in there to really stir things up. It’s gaining momentum and will soon become a monster. Do you realize how many Walmart employees there are?
@Sal-that is because a large percentage of the young people are druggers or drunks with felony records. If it wasn’t for Walmart they wouldn’t have jobs at all. That is the only place that people like SUCKS can find work. Of course they can be like SUCKS and live off everyone else on Welfare.
Ya know what’s sad. There are some Walmart’s across the country where they have set up donation boxes, for customers to donate food for the workers that cannot afford to buy groceries for a Thanksgiving meal. I am a real charitable person, but that is Walmart’s responsibility. The owners are Billionaires and CEO’s etc multi-millionaires– and the workers cannot afford to do Thanksgiving…..
It is no wonder they are trying to unionize. I say– Go for it!!!!!
“Ya know what’s sad. There are some Walmart’s across the country where they have set up donation boxes, for customers to donate food for the workers that cannot afford to buy groceries for a Thanksgiving meal. I am a real charitable person, but that is Walmart’s responsibility.”
Why? If you don’t like the wage Walmart pays, don’t effin work there. And BTW I have a Cousin that works at a Walmart and supports 2 children without Government support.
I doubt it. He/she is getting support may not be govt
It is called greed, and we see it right here in River City….Jim