Wal-Mart is one of the largest retailers in the United States and should be criticized for its approach to unions, especially after reading the article in this week’s module highlighting this company. I see many ethical issues raised by Wal-Mart’s approach. Whether or not Wal-Mart supports unions, they have a job and requirement to follow under the National Labor Relations Act that allows workers to organize and to collectively bargain with their employer over wages, hours, terms, and conditions of employment. In this case, Wal-Mart did not. Wal-Mart did not accept that these workers have the right to protest and have been fighting for years to keep unions away. In fact, if Wal-Mart had a good culture, leadership, and effective management, …show more content…
That is nowhere near ethical to me! Employees’ fighting for better wages and fair treatment does not call for any illegal punishment, harassment, or retaliation. Working with the employees and finding a positive and civilized solution to what is going on is a much better way for everyone. Penalizing workers for going on strike and threatening their jobs is not an ethical response to people expressing their views. “The National Labor Relations Act prohibits employers from retaliating against workers for supporting a union and from making intimidating statements that discourage workers from backing a union” (Kieler, 2014), so it is crazy why Wal-Mart behaves this way knowing they shouldn’t and cannot. Wal-Mart managers even illegally and purposefully intimidated employees who wanted to support Our Wal-Mart (Kieler, 2014). That is crazy and what is even more mind-blowing is what they said to them. “”If it were up to me, I would shoot the union”” (Kieler, 2014) and “”If it were up to me, I would put that rope around your neck”” (Kieler, 2014). This is far from Wal-Mart being ethical. This company was out of line and these statements are completely uncalled for, just like unlawfully disciplining six employees for taking part in a one day strike (Kieler, 2014). I agree with the affected workers “”Walmart can not abuse its power any longer”… “Our families and our communities
In Deenu Parmar's "Labouring the Wal Mart Way," the author discusses the business practices of Wal Mart, their impact on systemic poverty, and on existing work unions. Their business model forces competition to align with them, or close up shop. Wal Mart hires workers that would usually have a difficult time finding employment. That said, they pay them well below a living wage. Staff are also subject to abuses like overtime without pay. Wal Mart is resolute in their feelings towards unions. Their hiring process designed to cut out union sympathizers. This way, they can prevent any retaliation from staff seeking a better work environment. If anti-union efforts are unsuccessful, they close the store. It also forces existing unions to take pay
To this day, when I walk into Wal-Mart and come face to face with a manager I once worked under they give me dirty looks. People report that managers will trash talk you to another job that applied for if that job contacts Wal-Mart about you. Wal-Mart has unrealistic workloads for some overnight stockers, their managers aren’t the best in the world, and their policies are harsh. This is why I constantly call Wal-Mart a communist regime; not because it shares the ideals but because it is just bad for everyone in general. Hopefully one day a high positioned power will restore the order and peace that once was Wal-Mart according to the history they teach you in training and that their policies and workloads may become more realistic and doable.
Nearly every American has or had shopped at Wal-Mart at some point or another, and we’ve seen the amount of hassle that many of the workers deal with every time we stand in line to checkout. Long lines during the night while short lines in the very early morning, it sometimes appears as if Wal-Mart’s so-called “associates” never stop working. The use of the word “associates” rather than “workers” strikes a hint of deterioration of their purpose of working—that is to get paid. This label established by the firm that proclaims the importance of equality merely sells itself into its own propaganda by cherishingly slashing wages and worker’s benefits because apparently, they’re not workers, they’re associates. To help hardworking Wal-Mart employees
The Wal-Mart Corporation is a multi-billion dollar low-cost retail organization, consisting of 6400 stores and 1.8 million sales associates worldwide. Wal-Mart’s influence on the retail world and the enormity of their corporate size is unparalleled. Wal-Mart can easily report sales of $312.4 billion dollars per fiscal quarter and net profits of $3.8 billion dollars. Wal-Mart promises her customers "Always low prices. Always!" and upholds this motto by providing low prices to her customers and high return on investment to her stockholders. One way that Wal-Mart has managed to maintain a competitive edge over other low cost retail giants and provide low prices is by cutting wages and by not offering too many company benefits to their employees. Full-time employee working at Wal-Mart only make $8 an hour, while only 45% of the workers can afford to be covered by health insurance. Wal-Mart also increase part time employees from 20 percent to 40 percent so that they do not have to cover all of their employees for health insurance . Although Wal-Mart may not provide excellent benefits to her employees, it successfully performs as a legitimate business operating in a capitalistic society. Wal-Mart upholds the primary fiduciary duty to satisfy her stockholder and follows free the market libertarianism model, which states that a business should not interfering with the free market. In a free market Wal-Mart has a direct responsibility to her primary stockholders rather than the employees of a company.
Walmart’s policy emphasizes values such as honesty, respect and deems sexual harassment, violence and any form of bullying unacceptable. The tone of this policy was conversational tone, but with a seriousness and that’s what took awhile the sternness which made it feel more negative because they're trying to be too friendly. I feel that if I was working at Walmart I would abide by these policies because If I put the company’s business out for people to see on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest, and etc. You can get terminated from your job and also go to court just for even talking bad about your manager saying something racist about your fellow
Within an excerpt from, “The United States of Wal-Mart,” John Dicker explains that Wal-Mart is a troubling corporation. Dicker begins his article by discussing why the store is so popular within the news in an age of global terrorism, coming to the conclusion that Wal-Mart has a huge scope in the United States and that it has more scandals, lawsuits, and stories than any other supercenter. Continually, he goes on to explain that Wal-Mart outsources jobs and their companies demands makes it hard for employees to have livable wages and good working conditions. Furthermore, Dicker addresses the claim that Wal-Mart provides good jobs, by destroying this perception with statistics showing how employees live in poverty and that their union scene
Living under poverty circumstances, workers most likely live in small apartments, drive beat down cars, and have filed for bankruptcy. However, at the end of the day they can't get low prices they cant even afford. Although I do not agree with this business model I have a job and it helps me pay for my expenses; I have no choice. Many others in my positions are losing out on gains that we can only hope to share on in the future. Critics should prevent Wal-Mart from opening new branches because ordinary families and their own workers will never in share in those gains under poverty conditions.
Additionally, Wal-Mart fails to understand Bowie’s supply chain management theory that claims businesses can increase production and profits by ensuring employees are “healthy, well fed, well housed.” (Bowie pg. 85) When this does not happen it shows that Wal-Mart cares more about increasing profits than worker’s wellbeing. Therefore, going into contracts with suppliers in countries that do not provide livable wages to workers and exploits them makes Wal-Mart just as unethical as the factory owners. Hence, we as Americans should not support businesses that uses factory workers as a means to their end and require Wal-Mart to start negotiating livable wages into their supplier
In one instance, the company forced employees to buy new uniforms—when they could have just bought them new uniforms themselves. One of the many lawsuits against Walmart’s wage theft took place in Alameda County. The employees claimed Walmart uses “assistant store managers” to do the work of lower-level employees in order to avoid paying overtime to those employees (Pieklo, 2015). Why anyone would choose to work there is mind
Intimidation and coercion are abundantly visited techniques of quelling unity. Managers are mandated to report union activity to higher levels. In fact, a December 2014 ruling in California condemned Walmart for improperly disciplining employees who had gone on strike. However, even with a history of such violations, Walmart contends that it acts within the law in its employee relations. Civil cases against the company domestically total over 3000 every year.
(Fisher 382) The Wal-Mart workers oppose the corporations “systematic squeezing of its employees to maximize profit.” They had enough and they feel that the corporation has gone too far to maintain their everyday low prices. Wal-Mart workers and community members have held “more than 1,000 demonstrations, including strikes in 100 cities, during the Black Friday shopping rush” to protest of the company's illegal attempts to silence workers. “The corporation does not like anyone speaking out about the company's manipulation of hours and benefits.”
Few companies create such controversy as Walmart has done with its approach to maintaining low costs for everyday items. People either love Walmart because of this approach to keeping prices down or hate it due to the effects it has on the economy. There are a lot of arguments surrounding the minimum wage and employee rights at Walmart. There seems to always be a news article about some employee protest about the wages or how they are treated. Walmart is viewed as an enormous firm that does not take care of its employees because of its minimum wage, treatment of its employees, and how it deals with lawsuits.
Walmart has had a long-standing presence in America society since the middle of the 20th century, seen as a place to get everything done, Walmart has become a fixation in our society. From grocery shopping, to changing your oil and even filing your annual tax returns, Walmart is always there, everyday. Started by Sam Walton in 1962, it began as a small operation catering to a small Arkansas community. It was started on principles very similar to small local businesses in small towns. Today Walmart has gotten a different, darker reputation. On the surface, Walmart may seem like the solution to everyday issues. Low-income families are attracted to the low prices, and people who work odd hours benefit greatly from the 24 hours a day that many Walmarts are open. Lately, Walmart has also managed to be publicly recognized as a store that sells many of today’s green products, including organic food, environmental conscious cleaning products, as well as, paper products made from recycled paper. However, underneath all this, Walmart has a different side. Exploitation of its workers is widespread amongst Walmarts who do not belong to a union, especially in the United States. Wal...
Secondly, Walmart failed to account for Germany’s cultural attitudes; the union being very important to workers welfare, whereas in the US, Walmart staffs were known to not belong to any union (German companies have close ties with their unions). By taking an anti-union stance Walmart created a poor employee relationship that led to the loss of critical quality staffs in Germany; worse than the damage done to its employee relations was the spread of this negative image through the media to the German society and thus to German consumers.
Employee stakeholders have another story. The discrimination lawsuits ranging from female employees not getting equal pay or equal positions, to disabled employees, class-action lawsuits stating that Wal-Mart doctors questionnaires to prevent disabled workers from applying, Wal-Mart does not rank very high with these employees. Lawsuits stemming from Wal-Mart’s failure to monitor labor conditions at oversea factories and hires illegal immigrants add to the rift in relations between the employees and the company. Wal-Mart continues to deny charges...