BUSINESS: US Government Helps Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is facing legal troubles on several fronts, from organized opposition. Critics say Wal-Mart subsidizes its business with Food Stamp, Medicaid and other government programs, and bypasses laws that protect employees. Announced today: details of the settlement agreement negotiated by the Bush administration for a Wal-Mart labor dispute. The company was charged with child labor law violations and allowing minors to use dangerous machinery, including chain saws, forklifts, and cardboard balers. Under the federally negotiated settlement, Wal-Mart will pay only $135,540 to settle charges of 24 child labor law violations in 3 states. The agreement also prevents future "wage and hour" Labor Department inspections without 15 days prior notice. On another front, Wal-Mart is facing a class action discrimination lawsuit by 1.6 million American women. If it passes, the so-called "Class Action Fairness Act" now before Congress will prevent this and future class action lawsuits from getting to court. In addition, Bush's budget proposals remove Wal-Mart's "hidden" government subsidies - with cut-backs to needed programs - leaving employees with below poverty level wages, no benefits and no back-up.




Low wages coupled with high rents force people into Food Stamp and other government programs. Even with two and three jobs, many people have no other alternatives.

On average, about 21.3 million people in America - more than half children - received food stamps each month in fiscal year 2003, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Yet 36 million people, including 13 million children, went hungry or worried about where their next meal was coming from, Vollinger said, quoting a federal hunger report.

www.bradenton.com...

The US economy is being restructured, and has changed rapidly in the past few years. The majority of available jobs are now in the "service sector." While some service employment is professional and high paying, most service jobs offer wages that are well below the poverty level - like Wal-Mart.

In terms of the overall employment, four out of five US workers are engaged in service production rather than goods production in 2000 (see Figure 6).
The Service Economy

Wal-Mart employees already are cut off at the knees. The next cut is higher, somewhere around the main cardiac artery.

The Wal-Mart story tells us what the future will be and "how things are gonna work from now on." It's just one example of what's happening in America.

The traditional Republican prohibition against big government does not apply when it comes to protecting multinational corporations' "corporate rights" over the rights of individual Americans.



Related News Links:
www.walmartunionyes.com

[edit on 14-2-2005 by soficrow]

Not fair soficrow you beat me to it, although I have to admit your story contains far more information then I was aware of.

Good Story

What amazes me is the fact the government agreed to give them a 15 day notice in the future before investigating any allegations. WOW 15 days to cover there tracks as I see it.

I assume your mention of the Bush admisnistration was do to legislation right?

If not; allow me to point out the head of the Labor department was hired by the Clinton administration.



[edit on 2/14/2005 by shots]

I personally worked at Wal-Mart in Council Bluffs IA, and there are definitly strange things going on there, but my self haven't seen anything extreme.

I was a kart-pusher, I was employed for 38 hours just so i'm not full-time so i'm elligible for benefits, I made decent wages though but nothing enough to support me and my sick wife.

Most of the management loved me, I worked hard, harder than most but my attendance wasn't great, they did not like that naturally.

Bush has personally condoned wal-mart as being part of the American dream or what not...

No doubt Wal-Mart is involved with the Government.

This is absolutely insane! The people who own Walmart are like 5 of the richest people in America. They could afford to pay a real wage if their expansion budget looked less like a war effort. They certainly don't need federal protection.

This is so obviously just another example of corporate favoritism. Cash and carry government. Anyone with 50k can buy a federal judge. Political dynasty masquerades as political honesty. The illusion is maintained by the same populace it deludes. The cycle continues...

My father always told me, the real money's in mortuaries and bulls%$&. People never stop dying, and there's no money in truth.

They don't need federal protection, but they can buy protection, so why not, this is the free market at its best.....

the Bush family has been a long time supporter of Wally-mart. I worked there too and actaully had a great manager. Then the manager was replaced by a 'political' store manager and the place went down the tubes. I even got railroaded and eventually fired because i wouldn't go along with thier crap.

Wal-mart hs become a model of corperate greed and colusion to make more profit at the expense of the people that work for them.

I cannot belive some places these days work you for almost 40 hours and still call you "Part-time" and then others wonder why people attempt to unionize.

But it looks like Wal-mart found a home in CHina.. they fit right in

Like other "anti-American" news, articles criticizing Wal-Mart tend to disappear quickly from the Internet. Here is a piece that was removed from the Union of Commercial Food Workers website - within days of its first publication.

Wal-Mart Fights Against Playing Fair - Google Cache

Wal-Mart Fights Against Playing Fair - UFCW Site Link

January 31, 2005

Wal-Mart Fights Against Playing Fair

Wal-Mart was one of the major corporations fighting against recent California ballot initiative that would level the playing field for large employers. Proposition 72, which would have required large and medium employers in the state to provide decent healthcare coverage to their workers, failed to pass by a narrow 51-to-49 margin in November. Wal-Mart dumped about a half million dollars into the campaign against Proposition 72 the week before the vote. A similar, less complex law is being proposed in Maryland that would require large corporations to pay eight percent of their payroll on employee health care. Those large companies that failed to do so would have to contribute to a statewide fund to help pay costs of health care for the uninsured.

Wal-Mart has been named one of the 10 worst corporations in 2004 by the Multinational Monitor. The Monitor lists Wal-Mart on the 10 Worst Corporations list because the company’s poor wages and benefits shifts costs to taxpayers, who pay for public assistance that many Wal-Mart workers are forced to rely on.

A University of California-Berkeley study released in August determined that Wal-Mart costs California taxpayers about $86 million a year in public assistance to the company’s workers. The study indicates that the Wal-Mart workers in California rely on the state for about $32 million annually in health-related services, and $54 million a year in other assistance such as subsidized school lunches, food stamps and subsidized housing. The research also estimates that the 44,000 workers at 143 Wal-Mart (and its sister Sam’s Club) stores in the state earn about 31 percent less than other workers in the large retail industry overall. And compared with other large retail workers, about 23 percent fewer of Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club employees are covered by employer health insurance plans.

* Another 2004 report issued by California Representative George Miller calculated that just one Wal-Mart store with 200 employees may cost federal taxpayers up to $420,750 per year.
* In Tennessee, a study released this month shows that thousands of Wal-Mart employees are on the state’s expanded Medicaid program, TennCare. Wal-Mart has 9,617 employees listed as receiving benefits from the state program: That’s approximately one in four Wal-Mart employees forced to turn to publicly-financed health care insurance.
* A Georgia survey conducted early last year found that in September 2002, 10,261 children covered by the state’s health insurance, PeachCare for Kids, had a parent working for Wal-Mart. With about 42,000 Wal-Mart workers in Georgia that year, about one in four Wal-Mart employees had a child in the state health care program.

This is a prime example of corprate greed devouring the masses for sustinance. Worship of the dollar apparently gets you far in this country.

The Bush has definitely been a Sam Walton Fan. In 1992, Sam received the countries highest award from George Bush Sr, the Medal of Freedom, shortly before his death.

Also, did you know that Wal Mart attempted to get into the banking industry in 1999, but was blocked by the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999”

On November 12, President Clinton signed the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999,” which among other things killed off Wal-Mart’s bid to become a savings and loan holding company. The Office of Thrift Supervision is prohibited from approving any application by a commercial company like Wal-Mart for a unitary thrift charter, if it was filed after May 4, 1999 (as Wal-Mart’s was). So, the application’s dead, at least for now. R.I.P.

The eleventh-hour version of the financial modernization legislation, S. 900, as marked-up on October 15, would effectively kill off Wal-Mart’s application to get into the banking industry. The bill, following an amendment by the Conference Committee, would prohibit the Office of Thrift Supervision from approving any application for a unitary thrift charter (like Wal-Mart’s) which was not filed before May 4, 1999. Wal-Mart’s application was filed after that date, and so, if the Conference Committee report is approved by both houses of Congress and is signed by the President, Wal-Mart’s application would have to be withdraws. See ICP’s CRA Reporter for more on the prospects for S. 900 (which still includes several anti-Community Reinvestment Act provisions

www.innercitypress.org...

I don't know if they are attempting to revive this campaign, but getting into the banking/lending insudtry will make Wall Mart an unstopable force for sure.

On another more sinister note, it would not suprise me to learn that Sam Walton & Co were/are involved in illuminati type secret societies. I have no proof other than the obvious special treatment this company recieves from the government. Also, I just find it pretty interesting that the Wal Mart corporate logo has a pentagram in it for no real reason.



But, that may be stretching it a bit

[edit on 14-2-2005 by mpeake]

Originally posted by mpeake
.... did you know that Wal Mart attempted to get into the banking industry in 1999, but was blocked by the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999”

On November 12, President Clinton signed the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999,” which among other things killed off Wal-Mart’s bid to become a savings and loan holding company.

Omyomyomy. Doesn't the pot just thicken when it gets stirred?

Excellent research mspeake. Thanks.

Originally posted by soficrow


Omyomyomy. Doesn't the pot just thicken when it gets stirred?

Excellent research mspeake. Thanks.

Thanks! I have seen some pretty bizzarre theories on Sam Walton. Some say he is the anti Christ and was developing his own cult religion.

www.geocities.com...
www.geocities.com...

Some say he is actually not even dead, but is a zombie still in controll of his empire...

Sam Walton, thought to have died in 1992, became an undead zombie instead, and still remains in control of his vast Wal-Mart empire. Since his death, Walton has been gradually building an army of the undead, hiding his troops in the stock rooms of Wal-Marts and Sam's Clubs worldwide. In 2003, Walton injected a mind-control substance into Norman the Elf, using him to lead a rebellion within the Oligarchy government itself, in an attempt to seize power for himself and facilitate the invasion of his zombie forces. The rebellion failed, and Walton has retreated into hiding. Last known location: Raleigh, NC.

www.holyducttape.com...

Gotta love the internet!

Thanks. Needed that. Very funny.

...I wonder if Wal-Mart's gonna make their move into banking soon. Sounds like even more major changes are on the way in our fine nation.


.

great story Soficrow, thanks for pointing out the problem with the American economy turning more towards the low wage service sector. If I could have applauded you I would have, so instead I guess my way above vote will have to do

I'm all out of WAY ABOVE votes for the month...but soficrow...you got it in spirit. Excellent work, fascinating.

Haven't been to Walmart for a while...now with this information, and the recent news of the Quebec Walmart closing because of the employees efforts to unionize... its officially boycotted!

Thanks!

Originally posted by mpeake
Also, did you know that Wal Mart attempted to get into the banking industry in 1999, but was blocked by the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999”

This is brilliant information mpeake, thanks!

The banking cartels are scary enough as is, without the addition of Walmart Bank.

For anyone that is interested, I heard the most fascinating internet radio program about the history of the banking cartels/elite rich and how they have caused every war, economic failure since the 1700's worldwide. U2U me and I'll tell you how to find it.

More I think about it, The Waltons are most definitely elite rich so absolutely illuminati. I'd be surprised if they're not alread involved in banking somewhere in the world.

Originally posted by worldwatcher
great story Soficrow, thanks for pointing out the problem with the American economy turning more towards the low wage service sector. If I could have applauded you I would have, so instead I guess my way above vote will have to do

Thanks worldwatcher.

The scary thing is, wages are going down or stagnant while rents and the cost of housing is rising fast - no wonder so many people are going on Food Stamps.

This is not looking good. Ordinary people are ending up out in the cold in more ways than one.


.

Originally posted by AlwaysLearning

Originally posted by mpeake
Also, did you know that Wal Mart attempted to get into the banking industry in 1999, but was blocked by the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999”

This is brilliant information mpeake, thanks!

The banking cartels are scary enough as is, without the addition of Walmart Bank.

For anyone that is interested, I heard the most fascinating internet radio program about the history of the banking cartels/elite rich and how they have caused every war, economic failure since the 1700's worldwide. U2U me and I'll tell you how to find it.

More I think about it, The Waltons are most definitely elite rich so absolutely illuminati. I'd be surprised if they're not alread involved in banking somewhere in the world.

It's possible that the move to China is due to the blockade of banking venues here in the States. China may have less problems with Wal Mart setting up financial institutions there now that Wal Mart is hitting it big in the Peoples Republic. We'll see...

see how that relates to the Florida food stamp numbers now, especially since here in Florida we have a Walmart every 3-5 miles in every city. We also have the large migration which has never really ceased of retirees and financially stable northerners buying up the land and causing house prices to escalate.

Originally posted by mpeake
It's possible that the move to China is due to the blockade of banking venues here in the States. China may have less problems with Wal Mart setting up financial institutions there now that Wal Mart is hitting it big in the Peoples Republic. We'll see...

This is an excellent point mpeake...China is after all the next big economy. Lets keep our eyes peeled for more!

There's more than one way to skin a cat (God, I hate that expression...but it fits)...read this!

Walmart-Your New Banker?

snippet:
In its latest move, announced on Jan. 21, the retailing giant is introducing a no-fee Wal-Mart Discover credit card that offers 1% cash back, which it will launch with GE Consumer Finance (GE ) in March.

This relentless push into financial services is starting to send shivers through the banking industry. Few believe Wal-Mart will stop with basic services as it applies its low-price, high-volume formula to yet another business category. And while other companies, from Nordstrom (JWN ) to General Motors (GM ), have bank and thrift charters or hybrid Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-insured industrial loan companies (ILCs) in tow, no one trips alarms like Wal-Mart.

ON THE MOVE. Many community bankers are convinced the behemoth won't rest until it has obtained full banking powers. "It's not a question of if Wal-Mart is going to be a bank, it's a question of when," says D. Anthony Plath, a finance professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Clearly, Wal-mart is on the move. Over the past three years, the giant has steadily built alliances with financial-service providers, such as MoneyGram International (MGI ) and SunTrust Banks (STI ), enabling it to offer services such as bargain-price money orders and wire transfers. It has bank branches operated by partners in nearly 1,000 of its massive supercenters.

And it has stepped up the pace. SunTrust is experimenting with nearly 45 in-store bank branches co-branded as "Wal-Mart Money Center by SunTrust," with plans to expand to about 100 of them by early 2006.

UNDERSERVED CLIENTELE. Already, Wal-Mart customers are reaping the benefit. They can cash payroll checks for just $3, transfer money to Mexico for $9.46, and buy a money order for 46¢. Some competitors charge twice as much. Many are mostly high-margin, highly fragmented businesses in which the poor and immigrants are sometimes at the mercy of unscrupulous operators.