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Wal-Mart- Rolling Back the Standard
Of Living PART 1: COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU We all have seen the ads. The “smiley rollback” cartoon face cutting prices to save the American consumer on the cost of paper towels, laundry detergent, or maybe that new television set. But are they really saving you money? Or, in the end, are we really selling out ourselves? Areas that once bustled with commerce are now silent. Empty strip malls, deserted factory buildings, and family businesses that are out of business. What has happened to these once thriving areas? The answer is obvious and all too chillingly familiar; Wal-Mart has come to your town. Whether it is a Wisconsin Master Lock company shutting its doors to move to its production to China or a grocery store strike in California. What impact does Wal-Mart have on our economy and the overall standard of living in this country? Better yet, the million dollar question is this; how does organized labor survive in the Wal-Mart economy of the 21st century? How can we win the fight to protect the standard of living for our members when a large majority of our members (more than most union leaders would like to admit) are regular shoppers at the largest retailer in the world? We have created and breathed life into the monster, and now it is running loose through the village. I, for one, am of the opinion that we really have no idea how to stop or even contain it. Many of our staunchest union members are among its most dedicated patrons. For the last 15 years or so, just about every International union has felt the retail giant’s backlash on the U. S. economy. We all have seen the statistics and heard the staggering facts. If Wal-Mart were a country, it would import more from China then Great Britain and Russia do combined. Its controlling family is among the wealthiest in the world. The companies wages and benefits are substandard, and yet it steamrolls into town after town with impunity and wipes out everything in its path. It is an earth scorching juggernaut and we are the ones who keep lighting the match. It is time that we as consumers stop blaming the politicians and start taking responsibility for our own money. How and where we spend our money is a large factor in determining the vitality or our country’s economy. If we, as union members make the decision to save a few cents and buy the cheaper item made overseas, than we are no better than the people who use non-union services or buy imported vehicles. If our union brothers and sisters can’t count on us, then who can they count on? It used to be said that “as goes General Motors, so goes the world”. Those days have been swept away. Now, Wal-Mart is the largest employer on the planet and one of the largest political campaign contributors in this country. They build up and destroy towns at their leisure and all we can do about it is to drop in and buy their toilet paper that is on sale. The advent of Wal-Mart has done more to damage the strength of organized labor than Taft-Hartley or Ronald Regan ever did. We should all be very well aware that if we don’t lift others up with us, they will surely drag us down like an anchor. Our efforts so far have proved futile. Wal-Mart is spearheading the “race to the bottom”, and any attempts to organize the companies workers to this point have been checked or repulsed. It is my belief that, if we cannot make a significant breakthrough to organize Wal-Mart, labor unions will just fade away. Our membership numbers are hemorrhaging at a rate that will make some International unions extinct in 15 to 20 years or maybe even less. Even our most successful organizing efforts have not enabled us to keep up with the losses. So, while we watch our factory jobs get sent of to Mexico, we can all take heart in the fact that we can always apply for work at the new Wal-Mart they are building down the street. As Wal-Mart continues to tighten its grip on our cities and towns, choking the life out of small businesses and local merchants, displacing more jobs that it creates, and despite its utter contempt for unions, our members help to keep its doors open. Lets be honest, many of our local elected leadership are regular shoppers at the “house that Sam built”, and although today it resembles more of a vast reaching empire, it is very much the heartbeat of small town America. We keep marching in its doors like unwitting sheep to a slaughter to buy spaghetti sauce or coffee, saving a few dollars, but never worrying about the cost to our jobs or the impact on the standard of living for our communities. But who is really paying for the low wage earner and healthcare programs its “associates” have to rely on because their average pay is not enough to keep them out of the poverty income level and the healthcare is unaffordable. Well, the answer is nothing in life comes without a price and the great revelation is that we are the ones footing the bill so Wal-Mart can make billions of dollars and we can get dog food a few cents cheaper than at the Kroger (which is unionized). Who cares if that means the single mother who operates the cash register there, has to make a few bucks less? She should be lucky she even has a job after the grocery store she used to work at closed after Wal-Mart rolled into town. Another symptom of the Wal-Mart syndrome is the tax
burden that the local residents must bear. Wal-Mart is one of the most
heavily tax subsidized companies around. So, while we are busy financing
their new Supercenter, they are busy pressuring entire industries into
lowering there costs and seeking cheaper labor abroad. For all of its
“apple pie” and good community partner propaganda, the truth
is they are baking with rotten apples and dealing cards from a deck
of lies. All one has to do is read the label on the American flag they
are draping themselves in to find out it is really made in Bangladesh.
PART 2: CAIN AND ABLE Now, let’s really muddy the waters. Internal discord and bickering has led to a split within the house of labor. Three of the countries largest unions and, as fate would have it, the most critical in the war on Wal-Mart, have chosen to go there own way. The Change to Win coalition comprised of the UFCW, SEIU, and Teamsters have the largest stake in this fight, all representing members at competitors in the retail industry. President Abraham Lincoln said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”, over one hundred and fifty years later those words still ring true. How can a movement with its foundation built around solidarity, fight against itself and still expect to contend with the serious challenges that organized labor faces today. The quickest way to mend the differences between the two groups would be to start working together around a common goal against a common enemy. The US military has been using this technique for years to build teamwork. We all have a lot to loose in this struggle, no matter which side of the fence you are on. That is the main reason that we should remain steadfast in our resolve to bring the union to Wal-Mart’s town. Our labor leaders must be willing to put their pride aside on this issue. We can disagree on many topics, but Wal-Mart is one issue that we cannot afford any dissention. This struggle is going to require all the resources, money, and people that Organized Labor and our strategic partners can bring to bear. After all let’s not forget that is was one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin who put it best when he said “if we don’t hang together, we will all sure hang separately”. Throughout history there are numerous examples of what people can accomplish if they can put aside there disagreements and unite for the purpose of defeating a common enemy. Whether or not we are ready to face this challenge, it is upon us. The labor unions in the Change to Win coalition have the most to lose in this struggle. They also cannot hope to be successful without the support of the AFL-CIO. Conversely, The AFL-CIO no longer has the means or ability to mount any successful challenge to Wal-Mart without the unions who have broken away. The choice cannot be anymore clear. Either we can all unite and at least have a fighting chance, or we can stand alone and be systematically eliminated one by one. Though time may heal many wounds, time is certainly not on our side in this matter. If we don’t start acting more quickly and decisively, we may never be able to mount any serious offensive threat or action. Worse than that, we might not even be capable of holding the ground we still have left. PART 3: STRIKING BACK AT THE EMPIRE Here is what I propose we do. First, let’s stop pouring gasoline on our own smoldering ruins. Let’s get our members of their checkout lines. We know that we have unionized stores such as Costco and Kroger out there. Why can’t we negotiate a union member discount of 10 or 15 percent for patronizing their stores instead? That would be a real incentive for working families to do their shopping there. It would be a win-win deal. Surely these companies would at be remotely interested in an idea that would create more business for them. Next, let’s ask our members sign a “Wal-Mart
Free” pledge, agreeing not to shop there. But in doing this, we
need to give them alternatives for household shopping. This can be assigned
to a committee within the local union. Most local unions should have
standing committees in place. If they don’t, one should be elected
to explore this. Let the committee do some research in the community.
Where else can our members shop? Contact and reach out to local merchants.
Can they offer any incentives? I see employers such as Blue Cross do
it all the time. There workers get a 15% discount for eating lunch at
some local deli if they show their badge. In right to work states, where
some store owners may be reluctant to do it as a service only for union
members; they can do it for all employees. For example, workers at the
Ford plant get a 12% discount on all grocery items if they shop at Al’s
corner market. Central Labor Councils should be an integral part of this plan. CLC’s can head up these campaigns as well as assist local unions. They can also provide logistical support and coordinate with other coalition groups. We are not alone; there are many other groups who have an axe to grind with Wallyworld. We should be forging alliances with local civil rights, environmental, and other advocacy groups so that we are all on the same page in this struggle. By making coordinated strikes with other groups we can increase the number of our foot soldiers and increase the effectiveness. This is especially important in areas with small union activity. There is nothing worse than holding a rally, getting the television crew there and only having 4 people marching around with picket signs. Last, we need to retool our organizing strategy. Einstein said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”. Labor is notorious for finding a way to do something and then doing it that way for the next 50 years. They are also usually the last ones to figure it out it stopped working twenty years prior. Just because it worked in the 60’s doesn’t mean it works now. And just because it worked in Detroit, doesn’t mean it is going to work in Atlanta or in San Diego. We need to develop an organizing strategy for the 21st century. A special joint Wal-Mart Organizing Department should be established between the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win coalition, comprised of staff from various International Unions. Every union should be required to make a financial commitment to fund this project. We should then create a national organization with our strategic allies in the community such as the NAACP, NOW, SIERRA or GREENPEACE. Then, we would be able to pool our resources and work more effectively. Any campaigns or actions would involve all allied groups and organizations. An ongoing coordinated organizing effort should be made on multiple fronts, from the ground up in union friendly towns. Community based organizing should be the goal. We should be meeting with various community leaders local civic and religious groups to build a real support network. Education of our issues should be our first order of business. Town hall forums should be held to achieve this. We should be focusing on areas where we have friends in the local government and legislature. We should also concentrate on stores where we can salt in workers and where the local labor unions can have a large impact. Television, internet, newspapers and radio should all be targeted for public relations. A key area such as the Tire and Lube department should be canvassed at ALL locations in the target state or maybe even in all states. By running multiple campaigns in a small, more manageable department, we increase our chance for success. Also the company will be faced with the dilemma of losing their favorite defensive tool. They can’t shut down all of their stores. This would have to be a large scale national campaign of epic proportions requiring hundreds of organizers, and yes (gasp!), lots of money. But after all, how else do you organize the world’s largest retailer that has thousands of employees and a lot more money? Is this the answer to the million dollar question of how to organize a Wal-Mart? Probably not, but we need to start being more creative and flexible in our approach. If we can’t start thinking outside of the box then we have already lost the battle. But hey, don’t despair; there will always be an opening for a door greeter down at the local Wal-Mart. Ray M. Weiss |
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