Wal-Mart faces $2 billion in labor law violations

There are two ways for a company to meet their budgets, profit goals and quarterly earnings goals.

1) provide an excellent product or service that people want to buy and sell a lot of it.

or

2) Keep cutting wages, force people to work off the clock, eliminate all health benefits, hire illegal aliens that will work for less than minimum wage.

It seems like juuuuust about ALL the major corporations have opted for option #2 as opposed to actually building a better mouse trap or selling more widgets.

You can't run a national economy entirely on credit cards and cutting the company payroll.

At some point (God forbid) companies in America are going to have to increase WAGES in order to increase sales.

Consumers and workers are not seperate and distinct.

The workers at Wal-mart that is losing money is also a consumer that is losing money.

Less income equal less spending. Less spending equals less sales. Less sales equals lower profits.

I think we're entering a new era wherein it's becoming overwhelmingly obvious that you can't maintain this country having 200 million people earning $8/hr with no benefits.

Bring Back The Unions!

I think that if the court had ruled in their favor there would be an uproar over that. A court ruling isn't necessarily linked to right and wrong.

Wal-Mart has the great ability in offering the lowest prices without cutting into their employees' pay and the great ability of being in constant lose-lose because people just hate to hate.

Mom and pop places when they do well end up exploding and going nationwide are profiting off of being good. But apparently once that happens people all the sudden hate them because they've succeeded just because they are no longer mom and pop. This reminds me of lame music lovers who hate when their bands sell their music to commercials. OMG they sold out. No they are making money. What do you want them to do dig out of the trash can to get food to make you happy?

People act like they don't do things for money. These are the same people that steal music off the web instead of go to the store and buy the CD.

It's atomically hypocritical and it's sickening.

If Wal-Mart is guilty of what the court says then I hope they fix it.

But I'm not going to stop shopping at Wal-mart just because they lost a court case. Money is important in this life and I am not going to spend more money somewhere else just to please the haters.

Wal-mart is just an average company.

HOW they are able to get the prices low is the problem.

It's not like Wal-mart is just a good old boy going to suppliers and hangling out a good deal that benefits everyone.

They are using their very size to "game" the system to the point where you have to sell your goods at Wal-mart or you don't sell them at all....and the "deals" they broker are pretty close to Mafia-loan shark deals.

Hating Wal-mart just because they make money?

That's like saying, "You only hate Al Capone because he's successful and has money!"

And what about your taxes?

Don't you want lower taxes?

See, if you watched "Wal-mart: The High Cost of Living" you'd see the segment where in the Wal-mart HR Dept PROVIDED welfare forms to their employees and gave them all the info necessary to get a welfare check.

Your taxes are being used to subsidize Wal-mart.

They can get away with low prices, because they pay low wages -- which they can get away with because YOU are making up the difference in the form of taxes paid to the Wal-mart employees in the form of welfare!

I've shopped at Wal-mart a few times.

It's a weird feeling knowing that I'm paying them with my taxes.

If they were so bad to their employees then they wouldn't have any.

Not if they don't know what's going on............

I hate a freaking WalMart. In my town they have taken over major acres of precious scenic land to put their stinking store there. We already have 2 WalMarts and they want to build another one. The community raised so much hell they gave up. Friends of mine have been forced to work there because all the small independent businesses have gone down the drain because of walmarts low prices. Others have worked major overtime at the walmart and not gotten paid for it, what the hell is up with that the walmart also made sure they worked just below 40 hours so walmart doesnt have to pay for health insurance for the employees. This just SUCKS TO NO END then they show their freaking commercials saying they want to do right for americans,HA!.I happily spend a few more dollars at any other store than the walmart. I hope the walmart higherups have to pay major fines and have to do right by their employees all over the world. With all the money the freaking walmarts make they should share some with the people who work so hard for them.!!!!!!!

Wal-mart really isn't like a company such as Ford or GM wherein (at least this USED to be true) you went to work for Ford on the assembly line or whatever and make a decent living.

You worked hard.

You created a good product.

You earned a decent living with respectable middle-income wages and benefits.

Wal-mart is NOT like that.

It's low end service level jobs. Being a cashier or a stockboy or a greeter at Wal-mart doesn't pay a middle-income salary nor (and this is subjective) does it actually "produce" anything. At least at Ford you were building a car!

Now here's the other problem: When the big manufacturers all closed down to take advantage of the slave labor, er, "competitive workforce" in Mexico and China -- those towns were financially devestated.

THOUSANDS of workers were thrown into the unemployment pool instantly and they were all competing for a very scarce number of jobs.

But the mortgage is due every month.

The car payment is due every month.

The insurance premium has to be paid every month.

People are working at Wal-mart not because they love working as a cashier or because they love earning $15,000 a year with no benefits.

They're doing it because (often times) they have literally no other choices.

And what happens to a workforce that has absolutely no power whatsoever and is at the total mercy of the company?

Abuses take place.

There needs to be checks and balances in every system -- otherwise abuses of power take place.

You need checks and balances in government and you need them in the work place.

Only unionization provides a check to the absolute power a company, like Wal-mart can wield against it's employees.

Would any of these abuses have occured in a unionized Wal-mart?

""A Minnesota judge has ruled that Wal-Mart Stores Inc violated state wage and hour laws, requiring employees to work off the clock, and the discount retailer could now face more than $2 billion in possible fines." "

We still call that labor practice SLAVERY! And, slavery is still ILLEGAL in America, no matter which unregulated corporate plantation is practicing this criminal human rights violation. WalMart employees have no healthcare, no child care, are denied family leave, and make barely enough to feed a hamster, let alone a family. Now, they're being forced to work a set number of hours for free? That's OBSCENE!

Wal-Mart has been fighting unionization for as long as I can remember. Management intimidates or downright bullies employees with threats of massive lay-offs if the idea of a union is mentioned. If a "Rep" tries to organize, the memos start flying about how counter-productive and disruptive a union would be, ultimately suggesting that they are evil incarnate. Better to hire those without the rights and priviledges of proper citizenship as they can't do much of anything to protect themselves against gross managerial misconduct borne of endless greed.
At least now the bosses know that they can't just get away with anything.

after 9 months waiting to get hired last year, Glad I didn't.
thanks guys for..."Just accepting applications " like the rest of americana.

Wal mart sucks anyways, personally I have already boycotted that place.

this kinda stuff comes from people who dont know crap, i LOVED when i worked for Wal-Mart i found my job fun and enjoyable (i like helping people). I was NEVER mistreated there. When you say something enough times EVERYONE THINKS its true. i remember when i worked for Star Auto Parts they talked about how Wal-Mart was evil, i had to butt in and tell them that they Mistreated me 120 times worse than i EVER did at Wal-Mart. Is that to say the people at THIS Wal-Mart were not dicks? No, they sure as hell could have been, just like ever Star Auto Parts is not full of assholes either. (I'm sure, i cant truly say i know)

Really people. They have been sued how many times? And they always get themselves out of it. Welcome to big corporations.

I like to imagine Sam Walton with a monocle and a top hat, laughing to himself as his employees mine coal- er, savings.

Wal-Mart is just wrong!

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

and the Waltons should be a shamed of themselves.
Don't shop at Wal-Mart, unless you are into supporting global slavery, just to save a few dollars. Dont be a cheapskate!

i love the Angry Wal-Mart face

Walmart SUCKS! That is outlandish and almost childish to say in that fashion, but really how do you sum up there behavior for the average Joe that has a high school education, lives in a small town, and is nailed in with a wife and kids. They under cut small stores, sell the employees short, and are completely disconnected with anything other than padding their pockets...wait is that a yellow sticker sale....

But Walmart has 6 pairs of tube sucks for $2.50, how can you say no to that? :(

Their stores smell like tears and desperation plus their employees are like zombies minus the funloving part. Besides if you are willing to work off the clock for fear of losing a Walmart job, how bad is your resume?

As much as I hate to admit it, when I need a large appliance like an air conditioner or microwave, TV or lawnmower Walmart really is the lowest price around. Sadly I allow my budget to dictate my buying habits. That's the reality for many Americans, and Walmart knows it!

And I believe one of Obama's economic advisors defended Walmart. Seems no matter how many times politicians even tell you they will change things, they won't. Walmart is an evil company and deserves a decent Boycott of their stores. Unfortunately, their ad campaigns as well have brainwashed so many people into thinking they can't buy anything wiithout shopping there because their cheap, smelly, China crap is the only game in town and unfortunately in the current economic climate for many it is. Evil deceptions.

Walmart hss ruined more small communities in this country than can be counted and has now expanded into banking, microlending ( Mexico is where they charge exhorbitant usarious rates for small loans to the poor there) and other ventures. They are not the avearge 5&10 of years ago and they need to be held accountable for their immoral actions. But of course, with politicians of all parties in their pockets that won't happen... so it has to be up to people to break their ties with Walmart and realize there are other places to shop than to support their abuses with their dollars.

BTW, great picture.

wal*mart is the devil.

I have a very good friend that works for Wal-Mart or (Wally World) as she calls it. She is your typical Wal-Mart employee, a single mom of three, no college degree, and little chance of bettering her economic situation in the immediate future due to the outsourcing of local jobs. She has worked for Wal-Mart for over 11 years and still earns less than $10.00 per hour.

The company works on a military time clock, (24 hour). If she punches in 3 minutes early, or punches out 3 minutes late she is written up, but if her current project (stocking shelves) is not complete at the end of her shift, she is required to punch out and return to finish off the clock. If she punches in or out early or late on 3 separate occasions, she is automatically terminated.

Management in Wal-Mart earn the top wages. The ceiling on hourly wage is $13.00 per hour. Last year, Wal-Mart adopted a new policy of allowing management employment at $13.00 per hour for a time period of no more than 4 years, at which point the employee is automatically terminated or offered a position at a lower wage.

I noticed that some of your responses automatically assume that lower wages are synonymous with under performing stores. Their procedures, I assure you are universal. My friend works at the top performing store in the region. In the last year they have had a 110% turn-over in personnel. All of their management have been replaced with lower paid personnel.

I live in a town of 150,000 people. We are home to 4 Wal-Mart Supercenters. My friends Wal-Mart Nets over $1million per month. Our town was once a thriving manufacturing community, dating back to 1824. During the last 5 years our manufacturing jobs have been exported to Mexico. In 2004 we had an unemployment rate of 8%. Enter Wal-Mart. In the past 4 years we have cut our unemployment rate in half (4% currently) due in a large part to the expansion of Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, our per capita income level has dropped to one of the lowest in the nation, again due in a large part to Wal-Mart.

This law-suit in Minnesota needs to become a nation wide class action suit. Then, and only then will Wal-Mart be brought to their knees. Wal-Mart does not invest in an area, they invade it. With the promise of thousands of "New Jobs" any local government will welcome them with open arms. Once in, they suck the life out of an already shell shocked work force. As my friend says, "Wal-Mart is better than no employment at all."

It's very sad.

When the workers have no power, then management is free to abuse it's employees.

This was the entire reason labor unions formed to begin with!

What was life like BEFORE organized labor and the right to unionize?

That's right kids, the workers got their asses kicked by management because they held all the cards.

This is why Wal-mart (and McDonald's and all other businesses) is so fanatical about keeping unions out -- because once you have a Union then suddenly you can't abuse employees anymore.

"I need you to work another hour off the clock!"

"But I don't want to work for free."

"If you're not a team player we'll just fire you and replace you with someone else."

They've been pulling this shit since the early 1900's!

We're going backward in time!

All the labor advanced we've made are slowly being rolled back.

Wal-mart isn't rolling back prices, their rolling back labor rights!

The BILLION dollar PR campaign by Big Business to demonize labor unions has successfully killed off most of them....and you can watch a corresponding increase in labor abuses.

Wal-Mart is crap. The products there are crap. They destroy the Earth by buying goods made in China. Factories in China pollute the Earth and an alarming level. IF we do not stop all of this importing from China we will all earn Wal-Mart wages. Wal-Mart locks in the illegal immigrants they illegally hire inside of there stores overnight. Wal-Mart loses law suit after law suit against them for not paying people to work for them. IT IS TIME TO STAND UP FIRM AGAINST WAL_MART!!!!!!

Realistically they won't have to pay 2 billion in fines. My guess is around 8-10 million max because god forbid the government do ANYTHING that disrupts our titans of retail and industry who are struggling to make billions in profits so they can outsource everything to the Chinese.

Eh, that's a drop in the bucket for Wal-Mart.

wal-mart represents everything that is wrong with America. and it is a symbol of the fall of the American empire.

2 billion dollars is probably an extremely low estimate of how much they've stolen from their workers.

another reason to drive just a little farther to another store...

Good. Sue the pants off those pricks. SHUT THEM DOWN. They are corporate cancer.

and this is why i dont shop at walmart...

And it'll be striked down by the Supreme court which has shown itself to be pro-big business time and time again.

Wal-mart has seemed good to me until I had to see a video at school about Wal-mart. One from a current Wal-Mart employee and another one from an ex-employee, you can see what really goes on in Wal-mart.

Wal-mart always low prices... but someone has to pay for those low prices and that comes at the cost of the employees rights and wages. (Unfortunately)